Orbán’s cabinet: EU visa waiver for Ukraine breakthrough for ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia

The European Union’s visa waiver scheme for Ukraine is a major breakthrough for ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia as it will greatly help them strengthen their links with Hungary, the state secretary for Hungarian communities abroad said on Sunday.

Árpád János Potápi told MTI that the visa waiver represents a milestone in Ukraine’s EU integration, of which Hungary has been a dedicated supporter right from the start.

Hungary was among the first countries to ratify Ukraine’s EU association agreement and in recent years, it made a series of efforts to prevent delays in the introduction of the visa waiver scheme. For this reason, the fact that the scheme entered into force last night is also a success of the Hungarian government, he said.

Hungary has a vested interest in a democratic, politically and economically strong Ukraine, which respects national minority rights. The visa waiver is crucial from this aspect, he said.

Photo: MTI/EPA/Pavlo Palamarcsuk

Source: MTI