The Hungarian government will continue to protect the rights of Hungarian ethnic communities, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said during a plenary session of the Carpathian Basin Forum (KMKF), a meeting held in Budapest on Friday.

“We will not sacrifice the rights of the Hungarian communities on the altar of any geopolitical interest, regardless of the pressure coming from a good friend,” said the head of Hungarian diplomacy.

Regarding to Ukraine, Szijjarto assured that the government in Budapest ‘’, regardless of the pressure of a big or strong friend ” will not give up its position to oppose NATO-Ukraine summits and will not support Ukraine’s accession to EU or NATO as long as the Kiev government continues the ” anti-Hungarian policy ”.

Measures by the Ukrainian government towards the local community of about 150,000 Hungarians are contrary to European values and international norms, the Hungarian Foreign Minister continued, warning that the measures Kiev is planning to implement in dividing this community into three distinct administrative districts could create even more difficulties.

Speaking about Hungary’s foreign policy, Szijjarto said that it will continue to focus on Central Europe with special attention to the Carpathian Basin. He underlined that this Central European region has become “the engine of European economic growth” and that a political alliance among the countries in this region is closer than ever.

The head of Hungarian diplomacy also said that the government’s strategy of building friendship with neighbours in “practical and pragmatic issues” improved the conditions for Hungarians.

Economic cooperation between Hungary and other countries in the Carpathian Basin has had an upward trend in the last decade, with an increase of 61% in trade, which has created such an economic interdependence that closer cooperation is also needed in other domains, said Szijjarto.

According to the data he presented, the Budapest government’s program to promote the economic activities of ethnic Hungarians has helped over the past few years about 37,000 small and medium-sized enterprises through financial assistance totaling 60.8 billion forints ( 192.4 million euros) and allowed the development of investments of about 108 billion forints.

Szijjarto said that this program continues in 2019, with a budget of 38.5 billion forints for Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. ” We are interested in strengthening Hungarian communities in the countries where they are, ” the Hungarian Foreign Minister said.

With the exception of Ukraine, the leaders of each of the neighbouring countries of Hungary can be convinced that they have no reason to “be hostile” to this program of the Hungarian government, Szijjarto insisted, adding that, “despite the harsh conditions”, Hungary will continue that program in Ukraine, with a budget of 5.2 billion forints.

Source: Agerpres

(TFP translation)