Foreign minister: Government maintains position on Ukraine education law

Hungary is sticking to its policy concerning Ukraine’s education law and will thwart Ukraine’s endeavours in international organisations unless that country “provides legal guarantees”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a press conference on Monday.

Szijjártó insisted that if the Hungarian government “gave up its veto power” in international organisations, it would “give up the only means to protect Transcarpathia Hungarians and make Ukraine observe international law”.

Szijjártó also said that Hungary had vetoed a NATO-Ukraine defence ministers’ meeting originally set for February 14-15.

The minister said that although international organisations had tried to pressure Hungary into giving up its veto, it had resisted. Under Hungary’s foreign policy, the government has a responsibility to protect Hungarians wherever they may live, he added. Everything is connected on the global political stage, so Hungary has not accepted the argument that it should not tie its veto power to an issue concerning minorities, Szijjártó said.

The minister said the issue surrounding Ukraine’s education law was more than a bilateral issue, arguing that by passing the legislation, Ukraine had violated basic international law.

Every country that strives for tight integration with NATO has to take on annual commitments, Szijjártó said, adding that Ukraine had made a commitment to respecting minority rights. If Ukraine is serious about deepening its ties with NATO and the European Union, it must meet their expectations, he said.