It is unacceptable that, while Hungary is doing everything to support Ukraine, several Hungarian companies are being made impossible in the neighboring country simply because they are also present in Russia, stated Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Brussels on Friday.
At the press conference following the meeting of the European Union ministers dealing with trade affairs, the head of the ministry complained that many of Richter's products had been banned from the Ukrainian market, that this procedure had also been initiated in the case of Egis, and that some people had called for a boycott of Moll. "These companies operate completely legally, they have not violated any kind of legislation, their operation is regular, their only 'crime' is that, since they are international companies, they also have a presence in Russia," he emphasized. He added that the latter, however, does not violate any international legislation, as participation in the pharmaceutical industry and the energy sector does not conflict with sanction provisions.
"Therefore, we expect the European Union to intervene with the Ukrainian authorities in order to prevent companies from EU member states from being disabled
he underlined.
Péter Szijjártó reminded that in May of this year, the EU introduced a complete exemption from customs duties for Ukrainian products and services until the middle of 2023, in order to help the country plunged into war, and our country has no objection to the subsequent extension.
"At the same time, we consider it unacceptable that while Hungary is doing everything to support Ukraine (...), the operation of Hungarian companies in Ukraine is being made impossible"
he stated.
In response to journalists' questions, the minister then reiterated that the government is ready to give the country's share of next year's EU financial support to Ukraine on a bilateral basis, but does not support joint borrowing. He said that the Hungarian ambassador in Kyiv handed over the list to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry the day before, requesting that negotiations on the matter begin. He also said that the employees of the embassy in Kyiv are doing well despite the difficulties, the diplomatic representation is functional, the basic conditions of work exist within the given limits, but if the situation changes, the affected people will be immediately removed from the area. Péter Márki-Zay, former joint opposition prime minister candidate, believed that this only confirmed that
"we did not have to fight primarily with the Hungarian opposition in the election campaign, but with the foreign forces that stood behind them". "Thank God that in Hungary it is not foreign interventionists, not György Soros, not millions of dollars from America, but Hungarian voters who decide, because Hungary has a democracy"
- He told.
Source: (MTI) Facebook
Featured image: Péter Szijjártó Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Photo: MTI/Zoltán Balogh
