Hungary FM Makes Clear What the Government Will Not Yield On

The government will not bow to pressure from Brussels regarding the issue of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia, and will firmly insist that Ukraine must restore the ethnic rights it has taken away since 2015, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto stated in Budapest on Monday.

Hungary's government will not yield to pressure from Brussels regarding the issue of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia (Photo: AFP)

The ministry cited Peter Szijjarto telling a meeting of parliament's national cohesion committee that negotiations are still ongoing at various levels with the Ukrainian leadership on the situation of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia and the restoration of minority rights to their pre-2015 status.

Hungary's government will not yield to pressure from Brussels regarding the issue of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia, Peter Szijjarto says  (Photo: AFP)

We do not want to and will not give in on this issue in any way. There is enormous pressure on us from Brussels. At every foreign affairs council meeting and every European Council meeting, Brussels, the institutions, the European Commission, and the governments of several member states are trying to get us to give up our insistence on restoring the rights of the Hungarian ethnic community in Transcarpathia,

he said.

Currently, Brussels and the vast majority of EU member states believe that it is wrong for Hungary to stand up for the restoration of the rights of ethnic Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin, including those in Transcarpathia,

he added. "However, despite this pressure, we firmly insist that Ukraine must restore all the minority rights that have been taken away from the Hungarian ethnic community in Transcarpathia since 2015," he continued.

Peter Szijjarto: It's a Lie That the Hungarian Government Refuses to Negotiate

He said it is a lie that the Hungarian government is unwilling to negotiate. He added that it is unacceptable that "the Ukrainians are spreading propaganda in Brussels and European countries, lying that they have restored the rights of the Hungarian ethnic community in Transcarpathia."

This is not the case at all. There are constant promises and nice words, but to date, no legislative changes have been made that would point towards the restoration of rights,

he emphasized.

He also said that Brussels could pressure Kyiv to make changes, as it has done in other cases, but this will not happen because the issue is not considered important, as confirmed by the EU Commissioner for Enlargement. "We can only count on ourselves here," he said.

The minister stated that sovereign Hungarian foreign policy continues to be at the core of nation policy, and that the government stands up for the rights of all Hungarian communities around the world.

He said the number of successful investments under the Carpathian Basin economic development program exceeded 62,000 this year, with the government providing 242 billion forints  in support, resulting in investments worth more than 470 billion forints. "Most of this support went to Transcarpathia, where more than 34,000 investment projects were implemented. Since the program was launched in 2016, slightly more than 16,000 subsidies have been allocated in Vojvodina, more than 6,000 in Transylvania, just under 4,000 in southern Slovakia, nearly 1,000 in the Drava region, and 700 in the Mura region," he said.

In addition, we also support Hungarian companies' investments in the Carpathian Basin. A total of 226 such projects will be implemented during the program. The total amount of investments made in neighboring countries, mainly in areas inhabited by ethnic Hungarians, has now reached 200 billion forints,

he added.

The Hungarian government's position on illegal migration remains unchanged (Photo: AFP)

The minister also touched upon the physical conditions necessary for maintaining ties with Hungarian communities beyond the borders, particularly the issue of cross-border mobility.

Our government’s position on illegal migration remains unchanged; under no circumstances will we allow it. At the same time, for those crossing the border legally, we want to ensure as many and as smooth options as possible,

he said. He highlighted that 47 new border crossing points have been opened since 2010, most recently in April on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, adding that the recent establishment of a direct rail link between Uzhhorod and Budapest is an important achievement. He underscored that this year, 6.5 billion forints were allocated to the operation of the university system maintained by the Sapientia Foundation. He added that in 2025, the number of scholarships awarded to members of the diaspora community exceeded 500.

We have allocated more than one billion forints to the Transylvanian afternoon education program. We have allocated 1.2 billion forints to the operation of twenty institutions of national importance in southern Slovakia, and a total of nearly four billion forints to the maintenance of sixteen institutions of national importance and six programmes of national importance in Vojvodina,

he emphasized. He also said that 150 new institutions had been built and 700 renovated this year as part of the Carpathian Basin kindergarten development program. He noted that Hungary provides all possible support also after tragic events such as the disaster at the salt mine in Praid (Parajd), in central Romania, where so far more than 600 million forints had been provided in aid to those affected.

We are committed to providing all possible support to ethnic Hungarians living beyond the border in the future as well. We are in constant consultation with organisations representing Hungarian national communities beyond the border, and [...] we provide assistance in line with the requests by the ethnic Hungarian organisations beyond the border,

he said.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Photo: AFP)