Hungarian ministry urges deployment of OSCE mission in Transcarpathia

The Hungarian foreign ministry has condemned an attack on the headquarters of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association in Uzhgorod, the press office of the ministry informs.

“We expect the Ukrainian authorities to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and uncover what motivated them during the course of their actions. We expect the Ukrainian authorities to guarantee the safety of Transcarpathian Hungarians”, the statement runs.

The ministry also reminded of Hungary’s initiative according to which OSCE observers in Ukraine should be present not only in the eastern part of the country, but also in its western part.

This is not the first such request from the Hungarian government. Previously, the country asked the OSCE to deploy a permanent mission in Transcarpathia because of the notorious education law.

In the early morning of February 4, an unidentified person threw a bottle with flammable liquid into a window of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association in Uzhgorod. The police say they are investigating possibility of an arson.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin publicly condemned the attack calling it “a disgraceful way.” Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar is expected to have a meeting in Uzhgorod with OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier.

Meanwhile, some Ukrainian media hurried to conclude that it was another “Kremlin’s provocation.” In an ironic description of the issue, Vesti Ukraine makes a sarcastic statement that in this case no one should be afraid of Russian intruders, as they have even failed to set an office on fire.