Hungary backs launch of Ukraine EU talks after minority rights deal

Hungary has agreed to support the opening of the first negotiation cluster in Ukraine’s accession talks with the European Union after what it says is a breakthrough agreement on minority rights.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Facebook that the new government had resolved a long-standing dispute over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, clearing the way for progress in the EU membership process.

Magyar said his administration had achieved in a matter of weeks what former prime minister Viktor Orbán had been unable to secure over several years, claiming that guarantees for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine are now formally in place.

He added that Budapest had received assurances from the European Union over the implementation of the agreement, which he said includes Ukraine’s formal commitment to uphold minority protections and incorporate them into the EU Action Plan on minorities.

“The Ukrainian side has officially committed to implementing all points… If Ukraine fails to meet its obligations on the rights of the Hungarian minority within the set deadlines, it will not be able to advance further in the European Union accession process,” Magyar stated.

By Aghakazim Guliyev