Ukraine said Thursday a Hungarian consul had 72 hours to leave the country after accusing the official of distributing passports to ethnic Hungarians in the west of the ex-Soviet country.
The foreign ministry declared a Hungarian consul in the western Ukrainian town of Beregove persona non grata due to "the activity incompatible with the consular status."
"In the future we expect Hungary to refrain from any unfriendly steps towards Ukraine and its officials from violating Ukrainian legislation," the ministry said in a statement.
The expulsion is the latest in a series of diplomatic rows between Ukraine and EU member Hungary which has threatened to block Kiev's rapprochement with the European Union and NATO.
The latest tensions came after a video surfaced in September allegedly showing a Hungarian diplomat issuing passports to ethnic Hungarians at a ceremony in the consulate in Beregove.
In the video, a woman -- allegedly a Hungarian consul -- asked those receiving Hungarian passports not to report this to the Ukrainian authorities.
Beregove -- or Beregszasz, as it is also known by its Hungarian name -- is located within walking distance of the Hungarian border and is the centre of Ukraine's Hungarian culture.
Dual citizenship is prohibited by law in Ukraine.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
