On the 21st of January, the Center for European Enlargement Studies, with the kind support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Budapest, organized the third lecture of its “The Seven Neighbors of Hungary- Questions of Historical Reconciliation and Cooperation in the 21st Century” lecture series. The series is intended to treat critically the topic of diplomatic and historical reconciliation of Hungary with its seven neighbors. The conferences bring together diplomats, academic expertise, and views from young scholars from the area.

The third event of the series, dedicated to the bilateral relations of Ukraine and Hungary, hosted His Excellency Yurii Mushka, Ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary.

To prepare the ground for his presentation, Ambassador Mushka recalled the history of the diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Hungary which go back until 1991. His presentation focused on the main areas of the bilateral relations and on the work of the bilateral Joint Commissions. Among these areas, he discussed the question of minorities, economic cooperation and energy relations, the trans-border cooperation between the two countries, as well as environmental and transport issues. He finished his speech by briefly elaborating on EU-Ukraine relations and the role Hungary plays in this regard.

His Excellency’s presentation was followed by a lively question and answer section, giving the audience the opportunity to pose their questions to the Ambassador.

The lecture was conducted under Chatham House rules.