Ukraine and Hungary have resolved their dispute over the Carpathian Eight

Ukraine and Hungary have resolved a dispute that arose over Budapest’s refusal to join the new international “Carpathian Eight” (C8) format. The Hungarian side now does not rule out the possibility of joining the group in the future.

According to the Hungarian side, during the week of the UN General Assembly in New York, it met repeatedly with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga. The parties held several rounds of talks and were able to resolve the misunderstanding before news of the dispute became widely known.

“We are happy to participate in any regional and bilateral cooperation that serves Hungary’s interests,” Orbán stated.

The head of Hungarian diplomacy noted that Budapest may join the “Carpathian Eight” in the future. At the same time, she said, this must be preceded by further dialogue between the parties and the necessary preparations.

Thus, despite Hungary’s previous refusal to participate in the C8 format, the parties were able to resolve the contentious issue.

However, Budapest did not support another Ukrainian proposal: the creation of joint strategic facilities for the storage of fuel and petroleum products for Ukraine.

Orbán stated that such a project would not be implemented under the current Hungarian government.

Separately, Anita Orbán spoke about negotiations regarding the rights of the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia. According to her, she maintains daily contact with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov.

The parties are working on a bill that is intended to establish mechanisms for resolving issues related to the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

Ukraine and Hungary agreed on the relevant document during consultations in June. Orban expects positive developments as early as October, when the bill is scheduled to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.

This was stated by Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán.

Prior to this, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that his country had been included in the “Carpathian Eight” format created by Ukraine without being asked for consent.

Prior to that, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that his country had not joined the “Carpathian Eight” regional format initiated by Ukraine. Speaking in parliament, Magyar noted that Budapest had received an invitation but, for valid reasons, had decided not to participate in the initiative. However, the head of the Hungarian government did not disclose the specific reasons behind this decision.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also stated that his government would not allow the construction of oil storage facilities on Hungarian territory intended to meet Ukraine’s needs.

Hungary pushed to remove from the final declaration of the European Union summit any wording regarding Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU.