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Ukraine doesn’t meet criteria to join NATO - Hungarian minister

Szijjarto said that the issue of national minority rights, over which Budapest feuds with Kiev, is very important for Hungary

UNITED NATIONS, September 23. /TASS/. Ukraine so far does not meet the democratic standards required to join NATO, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with TASS.

"To speak of such kind of issue at all countries must reach democratic standards which Ukraine currently is not there," he said when asked if Ukraine can be admitted to NATO.

Szijjarto said that the issue of national minority rights, over which Budapest feuds with Kiev, is very important for Hungary. "We will never accept the violation of the minority rights. We will always argue in favour of the respect and the enhancement of the respect of rights of national minorities. And as longer as this issue not being resolved, it is very, very complicated to speak about any further progress [in Ukraine’s admission to NATO]," the minister underlined.

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