Péter Szijjártó says a stable government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and a Republican success at the US mid-terms would be good news.Continue reading
Hungary is almost the only country in Europe, and indeed in the entire Western hemisphere, to speak out for peace on the war in Ukraine, while the majority is using escalatory rhetoric, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Jordan on Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening panel discussion of the Amman Security Forum, the minister stressed that although the Russian-Ukrainian war is a regional armed conflict, it has serious negative consequences for the whole world, including the first real global energy crisis and the emerging food crisis. In his speech, he pointed out that Hungary, as a neighbor of Ukraine, is immediately and very severely affected by the direct consequences of the war, but also by the indirect effects.
“Hungary is under double pressure, with more than a million refugees already arriving from the east, while the southern border is under siege, where the authorities have already thwarted some 230,000 illegal border crossings this year alone,” Péter Szijjártó stressed.
Moreover, the situation is exacerbated by failed EU sanctions that have failed to deliver on promises, failed to end the war, failed to bring the Russian economy to its knees, and instead have led to increasingly brutal fighting, an energy crisis in Europe and sky-high prices, he said. As an example, the politician pointed out that Hungary spent seven billion euros on energy imports last year, compared to 19 billion euros this year and 29 billion euros next year.
Szijjártó underscored that
the negative consequences are particularly dangerous for regions that are already unstable, as the deterioration of living conditions quickly leads to the spread of extremist ideologies and the flare-up of violence.
This in turn could trigger new waves of migration, increasing the threat of terrorism worldwide, as uncontrolled flows of people facilitate the movement of terrorists. “Hungary therefore has an absolute interest in peace in Ukraine,” he said.
Szijjártó added that
Hungary is essentially the only European country that does not supply arms to Ukraine and does not participate in the EU training mission, which is why the government is under attack politically and in the international media.
The minister warned that regional armed conflicts must be brought to an end as soon as possible, because the more of them there are in parallel, the greater the risk of another world war. He stressed that a further escalation of the situation in Ukraine could easily lead to an uncontrollable conflict.
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