Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto held talks with the board of the Hungarian Cultural Federation in Transcarpathia (KMKSZ) and local leaders of western Ukraine in Uzhhorod on Friday, portal Politics.hu reports.

At KMKSZ’s headquarters Szijjarto and his partners discussed the situation of the ethnic Hungarian community in Transcarpathia in light of the recent military mobilisation.

They also discussed the planned territorial-administrative reform in Ukraine and the issue of education in minority languages.

Szijjarto also met Vasil Hubal, the governor of Transcarpathia, and Volodomir Chubirko, chairman of the Regional Council.

They discussed the situation of Transcarpathia Hungarians, as well as cooperation in infrastructure and cross-border development projects.

Szijjarto and Chubirko signed an agreement on the third phase of a 155 million forint (EUR 498,000) grant to be provided to Transcarpathia under the EU’s Eastern Partnership Programme.

He also signed an agreement with Volodomir Slivka, rector of the Uzhhorod State University, on a 6 million forint Hungarian government grant to be provided to the university’s Hungarian department and the local Institute of Hungarian Studies.

The Hungarian government keeps close tabs on the recent round of military mobilisation in Ukraine and cooperates with the Hungarian community of Transcarpathia in preventing the disproportionate mobilisation of ethnic Hungarians, Szijjarto told a press conference.

The minister reaffirmed Hungary’s interest in a stable and strong Ukraine, which coincides with the interests of Transcarpathia Hungarians as well.

As a friend of Ukraine, Hungary considers it important to settle sensitive issues such as enforcing minority rights in Ukraine’s new language law and considering the ethnic composition of the population during the territorial-administrative reform.