Hungarian Foreign Minister: issuing Hungarian passports to Ukrainians in Zakarpattia is legal
Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, expressed confidence that the issuance of Hungarian passports to citizens of Ukraine in the Zakarpattia's (Transcarpathian) region is not a violation of the Ukrainian legislation.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, published on Thursday, November 22, the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry stated that "according to Hungarian law, Hungarians who live in Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia), have the right to dual citizenship. If you look at Ukrainian laws, it does not say anywhere that having a passport of another country is a crime or that it is prohibited".
At the same time, the diplomat said that he is not aware of the cases when Hungarian passports were issued to Ukrainian state officials and other officials.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” assured the Hungarian minister.
At the same time, he made it clear that such events could have occurred.
"In Hungary, to obtain a second citizenship, it does not matter whether a person is an official or not," added Szijjártó.
In September, media published a video in which Ukrainian citizens receive Hungarian passports and take an oath of loyalty to Hungary at the consulate in Berehove.
On September 27, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko stated that the SBU was investigating criminal proceedings based on the Hungarian passports issuance to citizens of Ukraine and that obtaining dual citizenship entails withdrawal of Ukrainian citizenship.
In early October, the Ambassador of Hungary to Ukraine, Erno Keshken, was given a note that Hungary’s consul in the city of Berehove in the Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) region was declared a persona non grata and he was asked to leave within 72 hours. In turn, Budapest expelled the first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Hungary, who returned to Ukraine on October 8.