Anti-Hungarian Actions In Ukraine Unacceptable For State Seeking To Join EU - Budapest

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published January 26, 2023 | 11:30 PM

The Ukrainian authorities have not taken any measures to stop anti-Hungarian actions in the Zakarpattia region, which is unacceptable for a country that seeks membership in the European Union, Hungarian State Secretary for National Policy Arpad Janos Potapi said on Thursday

BUDAPEST (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2023) The Ukrainian authorities have not taken any measures to stop anti-Hungarian actions in the Zakarpattia region, which is unacceptable for a country that seeks membership in the European Union, Hungarian State Secretary for National Policy Arpad Janos Potapi said on Thursday.

The official stated that there had been over 500 "anti-Hungarian" incidents in the region with a large Hungarian population over the past eight-nine years.

"I do not know whether these incidents were supported by Kiev. But there have been no attempts to stop them or take responsibility over the past years and weeks," Potapi told the HirTV broadcaster, adding that this was unacceptable for a country seeking to join the EU.

The state secretary also said that over the past years, some Hungarian monuments had been desecrated and public festivals to celebrate Hungarian national holidays had been prohibited in Zakarpattia, among other things.

Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine flared up due to the 2017 Ukrainian law on education that restricts opportunities for minorities in the country to study in their native language. Hungarian officials have criticized the law, saying it discriminates against the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine's western part.

Last week, Hungarian President Katalin Novak said that she had sent a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing concern about the situation with the Hungarian minority in the Zakarpattia region, but was yet to receive a response.

The heads of state and government of EU countries approved granting Ukraine the status of candidate to join the union on June 23, following a formal request by the Ukrainian government to join the bloc in February.