The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, summoned the temporary charge d'affaires of Ukraine on Friday because the Mukachevo City Council removed the statue of the bird Turul from Mukachevo Castle, replacing it with the trident.

Szijjártó stated that he considers the removal of the statue in Mukachevo an "unnecessary provocation" and summoned the Ukrainian charge d'affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also appealed to the head of the Zakarpattia regional state administration Viktor Mykyta, whom he called "just a wonderful person.

"I am sure that he did not realize it. His common sense, his fair approach completely contradicts with what has been done as a provocation," Szijjártó shared with InfoRadio.

He added that it does not matter who staged the "provocation" with the turul. Hungary's task now is to " stand up for the defenсe of the Hungarians of Transcarpathia."

On Thursday, the Mukachevo City Council asked the local historical museum to dismantle the statue of the Turul bird in Mukachevo Castle, replacing it with the Ukrainian national emblem - the trident.

The decision outraged the Hungarian Minister of National Policy, Árpád Potápi, who called it "deeply shocking and outrageous." According to him, the preservation of historical monuments is one of the most important benchmarks for a country's minority policy and an EU requirement to ensure the rights of minorities.

In the first half of the 20th century, the turul was a symbol of right-wing conservative forces in Hungary. Turul itself is an important national symbol, especially popular among supporters of ​​the so-called "Greater Hungary." They seek to return to the Hungarian borders before the Trianon Treaty.