Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Hungary’s new Foreign Minister Anita Orbán held their first face-to-face talks on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden. It was the highest-level bilateral contact since the change of government in Budapest, where Viktor Orbán’s previous administration was replaced by the new leadership under Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
Sybiha described the conversation as open and stressed that progress had been made. Earlier, on May 20, both sides had already held a first round of bilateral consultations on national minorities. Anita Orbán hailed these as “important steps toward restoring bilateral relations” and reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
A key issue remains the protection of the Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region. Budapest is pushing for concrete concessions, while Kyiv hopes to open all negotiation chapters for EU accession as early as June – a process repeatedly blocked by the previous Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán. According to Sybiha, both countries are now working together on solutions to the minority issue and, in parallel, on an agreement regarding Ukraine’s EU accession path.
Source: www.bbc.com
