Hungarian foreign minister: Ukraine’s language law ‘unacceptable’

The language law that Ukraine’s parliament approved on Thursday is unacceptable, the Hungarian foreign minister told public media on Thursday.

The law which violates the rights of the Hungarian community in the neighbouring country reflects the ideals of outgoing President Petro Poroshenko who pursued an anti-Hungarian policy, Peter Szijjarto said.

Voters in Ukraine elected a new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, with a large majority in Sunday’s ballot, Szijjártó said, adding that it put an end to the Poroshenko era.

He expressed hope that the situation concerning the rights of the Hungarian community in Ukraine could be “clarified in a dialogue with the country’s new president on the basis of mutual respect and in pursuit of finding a solution to the issue”.

“We will do our utmost to restore ties between Ukraine and Hungary” after Zelensky enters office, Szijjártó said.

“Our aim is to have friendship return between Hungary and Ukraine and the outcome of this recent presidential election gives some hope for that,” the foreign minister said.

The law which makes the use of Ukrainian compulsory as an official language in several areas was passed with a large majority. Hungarian organisations in the Carpathian Basin protested against the legislation saying that it eliminated all of the minorities’ rights to the use of their own language.

Source: MTI