Orban and Szijjarto Offer No Benefits to Hungarians in Ukraine - Head of Hungarian Community in Kyiv

During a roundtable discussion at Ukrinform dedicated to the topic 'The Orban Factor: Russian Influence on Hungary's Foreign Policy Towards Ukraine', Tompa, the head of the Hungarian community in Kyiv, voiced his worries regarding the actions of Hungarian politicians, especially Viktor Orban and Peter Szijjarto. He emphasized that their interference in the lives of the Hungarian community in Ukraine brings no benefits and, on the contrary, causes harm.

"I have addressed Viktor Orban and Peter Szijjarto several times in my native Hungarian language, urging them not to interfere in the lives of the Hungarian community in Ukraine, as they have brought us nothing good and will not do so in the future. Unfortunately, neither Orban nor Szijjarto seem to want to hear this. They continue to exploit Hungarians in Ukraine for their disgraceful purposes," Tompa noted, highlighting the negative consequences of such interference.

In response to claims that Ukraine has allegedly closed Hungarian-language schools, Tompa reminded attendees that despite the presence of a large Ukrainian community in Hungary, there are no schools where subjects are taught in Ukrainian. In contrast, in Transcarpathia, there exists a comprehensive system of Hungarian-language education, which includes 97 secondary schools where virtually all subjects, except for the Ukrainian language, are taught in Hungarian.

"Today, there is a complete system of Hungarian-language education, starting from kindergarten and extending to university level – in Uzhhorod, there are even specialized faculties where courses are taught in Hungarian for the Hungarian minority. For some reason, Orban forgets to mention this," the representative of the Hungarian community pointed out, underscoring the importance of education for the integration of Hungarians into Ukrainian society.

Tompa also noted that due to Hungary's policies, representatives of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine are unable to integrate into Ukrainian society because they do not speak the Ukrainian language. In his view, this poses a serious obstacle to the development of the Hungarian community in Ukraine.

Furthermore, he expressed the belief that Ukraine should distance itself from Orban's statements, especially ahead of the parliamentary elections in Hungary scheduled for April 12. Tompa emphasized the importance of maintaining a position of non-interference in the internal politics of other countries, which is a key aspect for stability in the region.

It is worth noting that the Hungarian center-right party 'Tisza', led by Peter Madyar, has increased its lead over the ruling party 'Fidesz' of Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of the parliamentary elections, indicating potential changes in Hungary's political landscape.

This situation raises concerns not only among Hungarians in Ukraine but also in the broader context of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations, which require careful monitoring and dialogue between the parties involved.

First photo: Orbán Viktor/Facebook

Photo in the text: Hennadiy Minchenko, Ukrinform

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