It is the responsibility of Central Europe, which has been free and independent for 25 years, to support and stand by the Ukrainian people’s right to the freedom of speech as well as the decisions that the Ukrainian people have made, MFA Political Director Szabolcs Takács declared on Sunday.

Mr Takács attended a conference held in Jasionka, Poland, on Saturday, whose keynote speakers included former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek and former Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis. At the conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Solidarity movement, participants expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the Hungarian MFA Political Director.

The Deputy State Secretary said it was important that amid the currently tense situation in Ukraine, European countries should express their fellowship with the troubled country. All participants at the conference expressed their commitment to supporting Ukraine's freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity. All were also in agreement that the referendum was not lawful and a development which to a great degree undermined not only the entire country's stability but could also trigger worrying processes in the region, he said.

If there is something positive to be gained from the crisis then it is the cooperation of Central Europe, and within this, of the Visegrad Group, whose weight and visibility has grown, Mr. Takács said. All were in agreement that they wanted to see a Ukraine that adhered to European standards and norms.

Mr Takács held a bilateral meeting with Yuriy Shcherbak, Ukraine’s former Ambassador to the US, and assured him of the Hungarian Government's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, but at the same time he said Hungary expected the country's government to pass laws which take into consideration ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. The issue of Ukraine's new language law was also brought up at the meeting. The Hungarian MFA Political Director stressed the rights of the Hungarian community to their native language, which he said was important for preserving their linguistic and cultural identity. He also offered Hungarian assistance towards drafting a minority protection law.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)