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It would be a grave mistake to suspend the political dialogue between the European Union and Israel, as the EU would be giving up hope for a peaceful settlement of the security crisis in the Middle East, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels on Monday.
In a press conference held during the break of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the Foreign Minister condemned the fact that Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, had raised the issue of suspending political dialogue with Israel.
“It is a bit like saying that if we have failed once, let us quickly try again, in case we fail again,” he noted. He stressed that one of the reasons for the failed Ukraine strategy was that the focus was not on diplomatic channels, dialogue, and negotiations, but on making them impossible.
If the European Union were to declare a suspension of political dialogue with Israel, it would give up hope of a peaceful resolution of the security crisis in the Middle East.
We are most strongly opposed to this, as the proliferation of a crisis in the Middle East would not only cost lives but would also lead to an extreme disruption of global security,” he warned.
The politician said that there was talk of new sanctions, noting that since the “vicious attack” on Israel on October 7, 2023, the EU had imposed punitive measures against eighteen Hamas terrorists and fourteen Israeli settlers, illustrating the Brussels perception of the situation.
Minister Szijjártó also reported that Georgia had come under “an incredible political attack” at the meeting. “Our Western friends, it seems, cannot forgive Georgians for electing a conservative, patriotic, pro-peace government,” he pointed out. “In the Georgian parliamentary elections, the Georgian people (…) went out and gave a decisive victory to the incumbent ruling party with 54% support, a rare guest in Europe, virtually unheard of anywhere outside Hungary,” he underlined.
“While it is said here that of course the Georgian people have the right to choose their own future, it is not added if it coincides with the will of the liberal mainstream,” he added, citing double standards. “We Hungarians will continue to support Georgia in its European integration aspirations with all our strength and we fully stand by Georgia.”
Responding to a journalist’s question, Péter Szijjártó emphasized that
Josep Borrell’s actions could not be assessed independently of the European Commission, which, he said, was responsible for the sharp deterioration in the continent’s security and competitiveness.
After a year of unheeded pleas about the situation in Gaza, we cannot continue with business as usual.
I have proposed to EU Member States to ban import of products from illegal settlements and to suspend the political dialog with Israel.Read my blog:https://t.co/n9BM5UbW5n pic.twitter.com/PdeMiYPfyy
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 15, 2024
“Five years ago, there was no war in Europe, five years ago Europe was still the second largest contributor to world GDP, five years ago we were still a competitive continent, five years ago there were no obstacles to cooperation with the world’s fastest growing regions, and five years ago Europe was taken seriously, or at least much more seriously than it is now, in international political debates,” the politician added. “The European Commission has managed to dismantle all of this, and the President of the Commission and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have the main responsibility for this. (…) So let us hope that everything goes well and that there is a real change in this as soon as possible,” he concluded.
Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter
