The Hungarian government does not support any decision regarding Ukrainian NATO integration until the pre-20015 rights of the Transcarpathian Hungarians are fully restored, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated in Brussels on Tuesday.

The NATO-Ukraine Commission Meeting

According to the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister emphasised during his press conference following the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting that such a format of consultation was held for the first time in six years, only due to the intense pressure on the Secretary General of the alliance, who was forced to convene the meeting despite the unchanged Hungarian position.

‘We believe that this step seriously violated the general approach and regulatory framework of the NATO’s unified and unanimous decision-making, but of course we have taken note of the decision,’ he said. He also pointed out that the Secretary General, as well as the Greek, Croatian, Canadian and Turkish foreign ministers, spoke at the meeting about the need to respect the rights of national minorities.

He reminded that the Hungarian rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians have been systematically curtailed in Ukraine since 2015, and the most recent example of this is that minority schools have become impossible to operate since September this year, despite the fact that Ukrainian refugee students are now studying in 1,300 educational institutions in Hungary. Thus, 99 Hungarian elementary and high schools will have to cease to operate in their present form, and the right to choose the language of instruction has also been taken away from universities, which affects two Hungarian-language higher education institutions.

‘I have made it clear that until Hungary’s national community in Ukraine, the Transcarpathian Hungarians, are given back the rights they had before 2015, we will not support any integration decision regarding Ukraine,’ he said. ‘We will continue to stand up, as we have always stood up, for the Carpathian Hungarians,’ he warned.

Hungary Helps And Still Advocates for Peace

Szijjártó emphasised that some participants made rather militant statements about military victory and arms deliveries, while little was said about peace. ‘So Hungary’s position here, in NATO, is specifically unique in the sense that we speak in the voice of peace, and we do not strengthen the rhetoric of war,’ emphasised the speaker, underscoring that there have been Hungarian casualties in the fighting, as many Hungarians from the Hungarian national community in Transcarpathia have been drafted in with rather brutal means on several occasions. ‘And we will not stop advocating for peace, no matter the pressure put on us, no matter the attacks we face because of it. It’s very simple: peace is good, war is bad,’ he stated.

The minister highlighted that as a neighbouring country, Hungary has admitted over 1 million refugees unconditionally from Ukraine, and more than 1,300 Ukrainian refugee children attend Hungarian kindergartens and schools. ‘The effects of the war are severe and immediate in Hungary, but, far beyond our capabilities, we support Ukraine with humanitarian aid, and even participate in the reconstruction by assisting the operation and renovation of schools and hospitals,’ he said.

He then added that the government considers the Chinese peace proposal as a suggestion worth discussing. Furthermore, he opined that there is a greater risk of a third world war than ever before, so it is essential to reinforce the validity of those NATO decisions that state that the military alliance is not a party to the war and does everything possible to avoid a direct NATO-Russia conflict.

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