Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga stressed the importance of Ukraine’s compliance with both bilateral and international obligations to protect the rights of the Hungarian national minority. This topic was discussed during a joint press conference with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
According to Sibiga, during the meeting, the parties noted positive developments in resolving this issue and agreed to continue cooperation in order to reach consensus on all sensitive topics. He emphasised that the Hungarian community in Ukraine is an integral part of the Ukrainian political nation, serving as an important bridge for understanding between Ukraine and Hungary.
Tensions around the rights of the Hungarian community in Ukraine have been heightened since the adoption of the 2017 education law. The law regulated the language of instruction for national minorities and stipulated that after primary education in the mother tongue, secondary and high school education should be conducted in Ukrainian. The transition to the new system was planned for 2020.
The Zakarpattia region is home to about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians, and 170 schools in the region provide education in Hungarian. Dissatisfaction with the law was mostly expressed not so much by the Hungarian-speaking population of Ukraine as by the Hungarian government. In Hungary, the law was perceived as an attempt to assimilate the national minority, which led to the Hungarian side blocking a number of EU initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine.
