Németh: Hungary supports efforts towards peace in Ukraine

Budapest, March 8 (MTI) – The situation in Ukraine is relatively peaceful and stable, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting, adding that Hungary’s interest lies in the Ukraine-Russia conflict being as least intensive as possible.

Hungary’s efforts in the upcoming period will focus on preventing violent conflict and promoting stability in Ukraine, Zsolt Németh, of the ruling Fidesz party, told a press conference.

Relations developing with Russia have a new quality, he said. Russia cannot be excluded from the settlement process of several conflicts in the world, including Syria. It is hoped that progress can be made in deepening the dialogue between Russia and the international community, Németh said, adding, however, that no progress can be seen in the implementation of the Minsk agreement, which is a cause for concern.

Hungary has supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty right from the start, he said. It is vitally important for Ukraine to strengthen its statehood, and it can rely on Hungary’s help in its every effort in this area, he said.

He highlighted the importance of regular high-level dialogue and noted that Ukraine has not delegated an ambassador to Hungary in the past year and a half.

Ukraine can also rely on Hungary in supporting its European Union accession, and Hungary would like Ukraine to get EU visa exemption as soon as possible, he said.

He also said that “the mother country stands behind ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia”. Several projects have been launched in the recent period that demonstrate this, and these have heightened the interest of ethnic Hungarians in applying for Hungarian citizenship. Hungary wants as many ethnic Hungarians to apply for citizenship as possible, but at the same time, efforts are being made to prevent abuses. In this respect “the Hungarian consulate service has kept up with the task”, he said.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters