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HUNGARY WANTS ‘GOOD UKRAINE TIES’

Hungary wants to nurture “good neighbourly relations” with Ukraine and for its eastern neighbour to be a strong, democratic country that respects its international obligations, Hungary’s foreign minister has said.

“Ukraine has no reason not to regard its minorities as assets,” Péter Szijjártó told a press conference in Luxembourg after talks with Pavlo Klimkin, his Ukrainian counterpart. During a break of a meeting of Eastern Partnership foreign ministers, Szijjártó underscored Hungary’s openness to consulting with Ukraine. Hungary considers it important to have open and meaningful communication between the two countries, he said. Hungary expects Ukraine to demonstrate that it intends to resolve the current situation between the two countries rather than escalate it; and not just rhetorically, Szijjártó said.
In terms of gestures, “Hungary has done what it could”, he said, noting that the Hungarian government has spent 27.5 billion forints (EUR 84.7m) on funding economic development schemes in Ukraine over the past four years. It has also hosted some 2,600 children from Ukraine in summer camps and treated 36 Ukrainian soldiers. Also, supplies of drinking water were provided to western Ukraine upon request and state scholarships are given to hundreds of Ukrainian university students, Szijjártó said.