FM Szijjarto advocates “stable, strong” Ukraine

Kiev, December 19 (MTI) – What Hungary needs is a “stable, economically strong Ukraine” for a neighbouring country, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday, after talks with Pavlo Klimkin, his Ukrainian counterpart, in Kiev.

Hungary will contribute 100,000 euros to a NATO fund set up to strengthen Ukraine’s cyber-defence capabilities, Szijjarto said. Hungary will also contribute an equal amount to OSCE’s Ukraine mission, he added.

The Hungarian government has decided to provide export financing through Eximbank to revitalise bilateral trade and economic cooperation with Ukraine, Szijjarto said. He added that Eximbank is ready to also finance Ukrainian state projects involving Hungarian contractors.

Ukraine can only become a stable and strong country if its territorial integrity and sovereignty are respected. All participants in the armed conflict under way in the eastern part of the country should respect the Minsk agreement, he said.

“Additionally, Ukraine should carry out with no delay its structural reforms that will enable the country to strengthen politically and economically,” he added.

It is in the interest of Hungary, as a neighbouring country to Ukraine, that the crisis should be settled as soon as possible, through negotiations, Szijjarto said.

Hungary is ready to help Ukraine and share its experiences in implementing successful structural reforms, he added.

“We will make experts available to the Ukrainian government for the reform of state administration, decentralisation and legal harmonisation with the European Union,” he said.