2018-09-20T20:20:00+03:00 Politics 2024-05-15T09:55:57+03:00

Ukrainian news

Hungary: Ukraine’s Intention To Expel Hungarian Consul In Berehove An Unfriendly And Risky Move

Hungary: Ukraine’s Intention To Expel Hungarian Consul In Berehove An Unfriendly And Risky Move

Hungary considers Ukraine’s intention to expel the Hungarian consul in Berehove (Zakarpattia region) as an unfriendly and risky move.

The press service of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced this in a statement, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.

According to the statement, Hungary’s Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó believes that the video clip showing the issuance of Hungarian passports to Ukrainian citizens, which was recorded by a hidden camera in the Hungarian general consulate in Berehove, is being exploited in the Ukrainian election campaign, using anti-Hungarian sentiment in an attempt to win votes.

According to Szijjártó, the citizenship oath recorded in the video conforms to all regulations.

"The government will not allow the Ukrainian administration to further worsen the situation of Transcarpathian Hungarians, and it condemns the attempts to intimidate them in the strongest possible terms,” Szijjártó is quoted as saying.

According to him, dual nationality is everyday practice within the European Union, and accordingly, the Ukrainian objections do not indicate that Kyiv is serious about European integration and joining NATO.

According to the statement, Szijjártó also told the press that the government regards it as an unfriendly and risky move that Ukraine is thinking about expelling the Hungarian Consul in Berehove, as indicated by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

“Such a step would place relations between the two countries in another dimension and would not remain unanswered, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has received no official indication of this nature,” he was quoted as saying.

Hungary is continuously monitoring developments and it is possible that further measures to slow Ukraine’s integration may also be required in future, Szijjártó was quoted as saying.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin announced on September 19 that he intended to discuss the reports that the Hungarian consulate in the Berehove district of Zakarpattia region is issuing Hungarian passports to Ukrainian citizens with Szijjártó.

According to recent media reports, Hungarian passports are being issued to citizens of Ukraine in Berehove (Zakarpattia region).

According to the media reports, Ukrainian citizens were heard swearing allegiance to Hungary.

Szijjártó recently said that Hungary could block confirmation of Ukraine as a country aspiring to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).