On December 14-15 at the invitation of Mr. Zsolt Nemeth, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly, the delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine headed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Hanna Hopko and consisting of First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze, a member of the Committee Serhii Larin, and Chairperson of the Ukrainian part of the Friendship Group on inter-parliamentary relations with Hungary V.Lunchenko paid a visit to Hungary.
During the visit the Ukrainian delegation was received by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Peter Szijjarto and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Sandor Lezsak, and held talks with the Chairperson and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly, and the Chairperson and members of the Hungarian part of the Friendship Group on inter-parliamentary relations "Ukraine-Hungary."
In the course of the meetings the sides discussed the situation in Ukraine, bilateral cooperation in political, economic, cross-border and energy spheres, EU-Ukraine relations and cooperation in the framework of international organizations.
The Ukrainian side in detail informed the Hungarian partners on political situation in Ukraine and the development of the situation in the East of our country, gave evidence of failure of the Russian Federation to fulfill any of the 12 items of the Minsk Agreements, and proposed to organize for Hungarian parliamentarians a visit to Donbas to the delimitation line to personally assess the actions of Russia- supported terrorists. The Hungarian side, for its part, reaffirmed support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, assured that the sanctions against the Russian Federation would be prolonged, and that Hungary would not break the unity of the European Community in this issue, agreed on the need for full-scale implementation of the Minsk Agreements, assured of the readiness to provide further comprehensive assistance in promoting our State on the path of European integration, including obtainment of visa-free regime with the EU in 2016, and transfer experience of carrying out of internal reforms in order to adapt the country to the EU standards.
The sides confirmed interest in intensification of political, including inter-parliamentary, dialogue. The Hungarian side renewed the invitation to the President, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to visit Hungary next year. The Ukrainian side proposed to in 2016 make a visit of the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly and the Hungarian part of the inter-parliamentary group of friendship "Ukraine-Hungary" to Ukraine, and invited Hungarian partners to participate in a field session of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs in Uzhhorod tentatively in January or February 2016 .
The sides also agreed to make efforts in order to enhance cross-border cooperation and implement a number of infrastructure projects.
Considerable attention was paid to ensuring the rights of national minorities. The sides agreed to further do their utmost to properly ensure rights and interests of the Ukrainian minority in Hungary and the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.