Péter Szijjártó stressed that the Russian-Ukrainian war and the sanctions imposed in response to it are no longer only making life difficult for Europe, but for the whole world.Continue reading
We are no longer in the 24th hour, but the 25th, and therefore the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible, and the parties concerned should finally start a serious dialogue, taking advantage of the UN General Assembly week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó warned in New York on Wednesday.
Reacting to the news of the partial Russian mobilization, the minister stressed in an interview with public television M1 that any news that escalates the conflict is bad news, while at the same time any development that brings us closer to peace is good news.
He pointed out that Hungary, as a neighbor of Ukraine, is immediately confronted with the negative effects of the war and is therefore particularly interested in an early settlement to prevent even greater trouble.
Today, we would like to draw everyone’s attention to the need to end the war as soon as possible (…) We must take advantage of the UN General Assembly week, the UN, which was created to enable the world to discuss even the most difficult issues with each other,”
he said.
Szijjártó pointed out that the only successful mediation attempt in recent months has been Turkey’s, which has eased the world food crisis somewhat by restarting grain exports. Based on this success, the Turkish government might have a chance for some kind of mediation between the opposing parties, he underlined, adding that East-West conflict is always bad news for Central Europe.
In an interview with US broadcaster PBS published on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for the return of Russian-held territories to Ukraine. After a recent meeting in Uzbekistan, Erdoğan said he had the impression that Putin “is willing to end this as soon as possible.” With regard to possible human rights violations, Erdoğan did not want to take a position and said that the most ideal answer could be given as a result of the activities by the United Nations.
“We cannot hold sides. We cannot take sides. And it wouldn’t be right for us to do that,” Erdogan said, adding that “we have to be looking for a conclusion that will satisfy all parties involved.”
Commenting on his busy agenda, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said that while the war in Ukraine is the focus in New York, it should not be forgotten that the world is also facing a number of other challenges, such as violations against national minorities. In addition to his bilateral talks with his colleagues, he will therefore participate in the High Level Meeting on the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities.
He said that this issue is particularly important for Hungary, as millions of Hungarians live outside its borders. We insist that Hungarians living anywhere in the world should be able to preserve their Hungarianness, their language, and their rights, he said, adding that the world body should take action when these rights are being violated.
“There should be no compromises on the rights of national communities,” he said.
Featured photo via Péter Szijjártó’s Facebook page