Katalin Novák signs the acceptance letter of the new Ukrainian Ambassador to Budapest
Shandor Fedir, or Sándor Ferenc by his Hungarian name, a former teacher at Uzhhorod (Ungvár) National University and a volunteer soldier from Transcarpathia, confirmed to hvg.hu in March that he could be Ukraine's ambassador to Budapest. However, for a foreign diplomat to start working in Hungary, the head of state must approve his or her letter of acceptance.
In the light of the preceding events, the President's consent is a gesture that shows that the fair relationship between the two countries does not hinge on Hungary
the source told the newspaper.
After the acceptance declaration has been signed by the head of state, the presidential decision is forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) for ministerial countersignature, according to the usual protocol, and the sending State is notified through the usual diplomatic channels. The presidential decision will be made public once Fedir is in Budapest to hand over his credentials to the head of state.
According to Index.hu, the reason why the admission statement has not been accepted so far is that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been available to Hungarian President of the Republic Katalin Novák for months.
Of course, there is no official rule on how long it takes for the appointment to be countersigned by the head of state, it depends entirely on the host state, but the time it takes to be completed says a lot about the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. Shandor Fedir's file was transferred to the Sándor Palace about three months ago.
In addition to his teaching job at the National University of Uzhhorod, Fedir is a tourism expert, sociologist, and worked on urban and regional projects. Since the beginning of the war, he has been a soldier in the 101st Transcarpathian Brigade of the Ukrainian Army. Last May, a powerful photograph appeared of him giving online lectures to his students from the trenches, with a firearm in hand, during breaks in the fighting.
Cover photo: Aleksandar Mijatovic via Getty Images
