Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto discussed Ukraine's education law and euroatlantic aspirations, as well as the security situation in the Middle East, according to MTI's report.
Ukraine must fully implement the European Union and the Venice Commission's recommendations on its education law if it is serious about its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday. He noted that the commission said that the "proper solution" to the dispute around the law would be amending its controversial Article 7 banning post-primary-level education in minority languages.
Szijjarto repeated that the Hungarian government expects Ukrainian authorities not to take away previously acquired rights from minorities. Further, it expects Ukraine to engage in real and substantive dialogue with national minorities and to fully implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission, he noted. Hungary cannot support Ukraine's aspirations on the global stage until there is change on this issue, Szijjarto said.
On another subject, Szijjarto said security in the Middle East and Africa was closely linked to Europe's security. Those regions are still highly unstable and this could trigger another migration wave towards Europe in the future, he said. The situation in the Middle East vindicates the Hungarian government's policy, Szijjarto said. Europe must avoid encouraging migration in any way, as it poses a risk to the continent as well as migrants' countries of origin and transit countries, the minister added.
