Magyar to demand Ukraine unblock Druzhba oil pipeline, expert says

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza opposition party that won the Hungarian parliamentary elections, will demand that the Ukrainian leadership unblock the Druzhba oil pipeline and ensure the rights of the Hungarian minority, Deputy Director of the CIS Institute Vladimir Zharikhin told TASS. "On the one hand, the Ukrainian leadership breathed a sigh of relief, as Viktor Orban was a serious opponent for them and didn’t let them off the hook. However, there’s no reason to believe that his departure and Magyar’s arrival would settle all the problems between Ukraine and Hungary. Magyar will also demand the Druzhba oil pipeline be opened by Ukraine and the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine be respected," he said. Meanwhile, Magyar "will indeed pursue a significantly more pro-European policy," but will still "defend Hungary’s interests," the expert noted. "Budapest will no longer vote against the 90 bln euro allocation to Ukraine. Magyar has said he would vote for it. However, Slovakia is still involved, so the issue hasn’t been fully resolved yet," he added. Hungary’s National Election Office reported earlier that the opposition Tisza party won the April 12 elections, securing 138 out of 199 seats in the National Assembly (unicameral parliament).