4 Jun (Reuters) – All European Union members have agreed to open talks with Ukraine and Moldova on the first group of issues in their accession negotiations, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday.
“Fantastic news,” she wrote on X. “We’re one step closer to EU membership: steadily moving towards 🏽our goal.”
Cyprus, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said on X that it had begun preparing to formally open negotiations on the first group of negotiating chapters, covering the rule of law and democratic standards, with the two countries.
‘This represents a significant milestone in its European integration path and sends a strong message of the EU’s unity and determination,’ he said.
The presidency said it would work ‘to finalize discussions’ for the formal opening.
Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar stated that his country and Ukraine had reached an agreement on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, comprising 100,000 people.
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Magyar had previously stated that a settlement on this long-standing dispute was essential for Budapest to agree to Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Both Ukraine and Moldova are pushing for membership in the 27-member EU after more than four years of war pitting Kiev against Moscow.
(Reporting by Jekaterina Golubkova in Tokyo)
