Ukraine and Hungary are negotiating to deepen cooperation

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba met with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Siarto in Budapest.

As it became known, two documents were signed as a result of the meeting. The first is a protocol on amendments to the Framework Agreement between Ukraine and Hungary on the provision of loans on the terms of related assistance. The second is a memorandum of cooperation between the Ukrainian State Agency for Energy Efficiency and the Hungarian Ministry of Innovation and Technology.

“It is time to turn all the pages that divide us and redouble our efforts for the benefit of our peoples, countries, and the continent as a whole,” Kuleba said after the meeting.

At the same time, Siarto stressed that the goal of the two countries is to reach an agreement.

According to the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, the ministers discussed relations between the two countries, investments, cooperation in curbing the spread of coronavirus infection, resumption of the Ukrainian-Hungarian intergovernmental economic commission, as well as border infrastructure development, including modernization of “Chop – Zakhon” checkpoint and construction of a new checkpoint  “Dyida – Beregdarots”.

“There are no objective grounds for any significant problems between us,” Kuleba said. He added that Hungary can count on Ukraine’s support for its initiatives in Central Europe, as Ukraine “also belongs to the Central European family”.

Instead, Siarto said Hungary was waiting to resolve issues with education and the law on the functioning of the state language. “Then we will no longer block what we are blocking in connection with NATO,” the Hungarian official said.

It will be recalled that since September 2017, Hungary has been vetoing all decisions in NATO concerning the deepening of cooperation with Ukraine.