The Prime Minister of Hungary, Péter Madár, announced the achievement of a comprehensive agreement between Ukraine and Hungary regarding the expansion of linguistic, educational, cultural, and political rights for the Hungarian minority, which numbers around 100,000 people.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Key Aspects of the Agreement and Next Steps
According to Madár, the agreement was the result of several weeks of intensive negotiations at the expert level involving political organizations of Hungarians in Transcarpathia and churches. He noted that the Ukrainian side agreed to implement the agreed measures into its legal system in the near future.
“We have reached a comprehensive agreement with Ukraine regarding the expansion of linguistic, educational, cultural, and political rights for the 100,000-strong Hungarian minority. The agreement is the result of several weeks of intensive Hungarian-Ukrainian negotiations at the expert level, which also involved political organizations of Hungarians in Transcarpathia and churches,” he stated in his video address.
Madár emphasized that these commitments will be integrated into Ukraine’s action plan regarding the European Union. If the agreements are fulfilled, the Hungarian government promises to facilitate the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
At the same time, Madár stressed that Hungary currently does not support accelerated negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership. He added that if Ukraine can close all 33 chapters of the accession negotiations within 10–15 years, a legally binding referendum on this issue will be held in Hungary.
Negotiations and Prospects for Bilateral Relations
Official Kyiv has not yet commented on the Hungarian Prime Minister’s statement. At the end of May, Péter Madár reported that expert negotiations between Ukraine and Hungary regarding the rights of national minorities are proceeding constructively, and the 11-point proposal initiated by the Hungarian side is already known to the Ukrainian side. The proposals focus primarily on educational, cultural, and linguistic rights.
Madár emphasized that contacts with the Ukrainian side are maintained at a technical level and expressed hope for the swift agreement on all points of the agreements. After the parliamentary elections in Hungary, Madár was congratulated by leaders of many EU countries, as well as by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In Brussels and Kyiv, there are expectations that the new Prime Minister, who positions himself as a pro-European politician, will change the previous government’s approach to relations with Ukraine and contribute to ending the blockage of decisions in support of it.
Péter Madár had previously expressed his intention to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, proposing to hold negotiations in Transcarpathia at the beginning of June. The head of the Ukrainian state also confirmed his readiness for this meeting.