Martonyi confirmed that as a neighbouring country, Ukraine has been a partner of outstanding significance ever since becoming an independent state. Hungary supports the Ukrainian government’s efforts towards stabilisation and emphasises its standpoint that Russia’s annexation of Crimea is illegitimate and illegal, the ministry said.

Martonyi expressed concern about the developments in Ukraine’s east over the past few days. He underlined the message expressed on numerous occasions by the heads of state and government of European Union member states that any further escalation of the conflict could carry grave consequences with an impact on relations between the EU and Russia.

He noted that the Hungarian government feels a keen sense of responsibility towards Hungarians in western Ukraine, especially in terms of their safety and livelihoods in their homeland. Lubkivsky said when formulating regulations on minority language use, every caution would be employed and European norms observed.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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