Hungary will play key part in reducing global food shortage

Education, transport and regional development were in the focus of talks between foreign ministry state secretary Levente Magyar and Ukrainian officials in Kiev on Thursday.

Magyar told public media that he had attended five bilateral meetings in which “the most important elements of the system of relations” between Hungary and Ukraine were reviewed. He cited education, transport, regional development and additional areas where the war caused a halt in the “serious work previously under way”.

Progress has been made in every area and agreements signed with the relevant ministry leaders under which the capacity of the Záhony-Csap border crossing would be increased, enabling Ukrainian grain exports to transit Hungary. Hungary will have to carry out major railway developments in the Záhony area, and a working group has already been set up to work on this project, he said. A joint working group will be tasked with identifying additional transport developments to increase the capacity of the border in cargo and in passenger traffic.

Progress has also been made in the areas of education and minority rights, he said. He added that he had told his Ukrainian partners that “if they pay attention to these issues then we are ready to maintain constructive dialogue and find solutions with respect to Transcarpathian Hungarians’ concerns regarding their rights”.

Read also: Hungary prepared to help release grain stuck in Ukraine

He said the topic of regional development in Ukraine was also covered at the talks, which the Hungarian government can support through the Hungarian Interchurch Aid. The organisation works with Hungarian government financing and uses local experts who have considerable experience and knowledge of Ukraine to help internal refugees and carry out infrastructure development, he added.

Magyar said he also met the Ukrainian president’s foreign affairs advisor, and they were in agreement that the war must not hinder the two countries’ representatives in making progress with unresolved issues. “I am optimistic that we can resolve open-ended issues. Satisfying demands connected to the war is currently of primary importance in Ukraine, and

Hungary will continue to offer as much help as it can in this area,”

he added.

Police: 13,201 refugees arrive from Ukraine on Thursday

Fully 6,891 people crossed into Hungary directly from Ukraine on Thursday, while another 6,310 from Ukraine crossed from Romania, the national police headquarters (ORFK) said. Police issued temporary residence permits valid for thirty days to 342 people, ORFK told MTI on Friday.

Holders of such permits must contact a local immigration office near their place of residence within thirty days to apply for permanent documents, it added. Budapest received 47 people, 26 children among them, by train, ORFK said.