Klimkin says relations with Hungary close to the “red line”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin believes that Hungary has come close to the “red line” making statement on necessity of an OSCE mission in Transcarpathia. He made the statement in an interview to BBC News-Ukraine.

He said one should not speak with one’s partners that way.

The minister believes that Hungary’s actions are a deliberate political manipulation and blatant distortion of reality.

“What OSCE mission they are talking about? Is it dangerous there? It is ridiculous when the Hungarian consulate says that it is dangerous to go to Transcarpathia. The second attack against the offices of the Hungarian community was organized by the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service – EADaily’s note). Organizers of the group arrived from Transnistria and then returned to Transnistria. I do not rule out that Russia will try doing something else. What mission do we need? A mission to fight the FSB? And what does the OSCE have to do here?” Klimlin asked.

The minister was responding to a statement of Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó. The latter announced that under his request the OSCE had sent 12 observers to Transcarpathia. Before that, the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association asked for and OSCE mission being concerned by an arson at the Hungarian culture center in Uzhgorod.

They in Budapest are certainly not as optimistic as Klimkin that Transcarpathia is safe for Hungarians. They do not believe in “Moscow’s hand” either. Moreover, anti-Hungarian manifestations in the region continue taking place. Last night, unidentified persons were attacking cars with Hungarian license plates in the town of Beregovo.

March 15 was a vacation day due to the celebration of an anniversary of the Carpathian Ukraine establishment and 170 years of the Hungarian Revolution. On that day, several cars and a group of young people were detained on the border of Transcarpathia and Lvov Region. They were having balaclava caps, knuckles, knives and bats.

In this connection, the Hungarian foreign ministry issued a recommendation to Hungarian citizens to refrain from visiting Transcarpathia on March 16-18.