On Feb. 5, ForUm held an online chat with ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Hungary to Ukraine Mihály Bayer, during which the ambassador spoke about Ukraine's European aspirations, about life of Hungarian people in Zakarpattya, tariffs for electricity and Ukrainian borsch.
Here is the text of the conference:
Manya: Will Hungary assist Ukraine with European integration?
– Ukraine can count on support of Hungary in the issue of the European integration. Hungary is one of those countries that strongly support the European integration of Ukraine, including its accession to the European Union. We know very well how the prospect of joining the EU in the 90’s was important for the Hungarian society. Ukraine is definitely a European country for us, in which the vast majority of citizens support the European integration. You can count on the full support of the Hungarian government in this issue. You should be ready for the fact that there is a competition not only in economic but also in political life in the EU. And the country must be competitive in these fields, apart from the development of those values on which the European Union was created, to extract all possible benefits from joining this union.
Andriy: How do you see further development of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations?
– Ukraine is a friend, neighbor and partner for Hungary. We are able to cooperate with Ukraine in all spheres without serious problems and disagreements. In economic terms, Ukraine is the second or third non-EU country having the largest annual trade turnover with Hungary. Investments and business contacts are diverse, and we believe that we have very good prospects. I also want to point out the role of national minorities of Ukraine in the development of bilateral relations. The border zone is the western border of Ukraine with the European Union. I think it shows its importance to our relations.
