| Péter Balázs received Foreign Minister Petro Porosenko, the head of the Ukrainian delegation participating in the extended Budapest conference of the Visegrad Four, for bilateral talks on March 2, 2010. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister visited Budapest after accompanying President Viktor Janukovich on his first trip abroad to Brussels. Despite his busy schedule and challenges in Ukrainian domestic politics, Mr Porosenko travelled directly to Budapest to attend the meeting, thereby illustrating the importance of bilateral Hungarian-Ukrainian relations, as well as the exceptional role in the region of the extended Visegrad Four foreign ministerial conference, organised at the initiative of Hungary.
Petro Porosenko briefed his Hungarian partner on President Janukovich’s talks in Brussels, which he qualified as very fruitful and successful. The visit confirmed that Ukraine treats further approximation to the European Union as a priority. Mr Porosenko expressed gratitude for Hungary’s dedicated support for Ukraine’s European endeavours, a token of which was contained in the Hungarian Foreign Minister’s address at the latest Brussels session of the Foreign Affairs Council. He requested further support in Ukrainian visa liberalisation efforts, and asked sharing Hungarian experiences in this field in respect of the Western Balkans.
As regards the education problems of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, Mr Porosenko stated he trusted that, in line with commitments made by the new Ukrainian president, advancement in this area would be imminent. He proposed that as the effects of the global crisis ease, the two governments should review opportunities for boosting economic relations. Mr Balázs emphasised that Hungary continues to support Ukraine’s endeavours. Ukraine is considered a friendly country and is our largest neighbour: its political and economic development, and the success of its reform process has a key impact on the entire region. In terms of regional relations, Transcarpathia is in a special situation: it is through this area that Ukraine borders four EU Member States, and this opens opportunities for exemplary cooperation in economic and infrastructural development. (March 2, 2010) |