IFAT’s director, Márton Ugrósdy participated in a panel discussion about Ukraine’s relations with its Western neighbors at the Re:open Zakarpattia conference. Even though the panel was held in a hybrid format due to the restrictions of the pandemic, the high level panel was very well attended by different speakers. The session was opened with the video message of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba, while deputy FM Vasyl Bodnar, former Ukrainaian FM Pavlo Klimkin, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Rada Hanna Hopko and MEP Andris Kubilius shared their thoughts. Not surprisingly, Hungarian-Ukrainian relations were often mentioned in the discussion. Mr. Ugrósdy underlined: a stable, successful and secure Ukraine is in the interest of Hungary, and while current problems have to be solved, closer economic cooperation is also desirable, and in order to achieve enhanced cooperation more border crossings would have to be opened, and the process of crossing the border should be simplified. Further opportunities are present in the field of environmental protection: it is in the two countries’s common interest to handle the illegal waste disposal of the Tisza river valley, which causes major problems during high water periods for both countries.
Re:open Zakarpattia conference
