Hungary will lift its ban on the next session of the Ukraine-NATO Commission under the condition that Ukraine, among other things, restores the rights of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia (Zakarpattia) to obtain an education in their native tongue, Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced.

"This is absolutely clear and has been clear ever since September 2017. First of all, the rights of Hungarian minorities regarding education that used to be in effect must be restored," he told journalists at the Warsaw Security Forum on October 24 when asked about the conditions necessary to unblock the Ukraine-NATO commission's work.

Also, the minister said that the transition period needs to be prolonged until at least 2023 and private schools need to be removed from the law. Furthermore, a direct dialogue with the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia should be encouraged.

"As soon as these criteria are met, we will be happy to lift our veto," the Hungarian foreign minister concluded.

As was earlier reported, Hungary has been blocking meetings of the Ukraine-NATO commission by using its right to veto since February 2018.