Hungary Contributes to the Expansion of UN Peacekeeping Missions

Hungary is ready to contribute to the strengthening of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping activities, as the more armed conflicts are brought to a solution, the lower the risk of a third world war, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Accra, Ghana on Wednesday.

Speaking at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Ghana, the Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that global security is at its worst since the end of the Cold War, with more than 30 serious armed conflicts in the world and the threat of terrorism at its highest level ever. In his speech, he pointed out that Europe is no exception, because although previously considered unthinkable in the 21st century, war is raging on the continent, as well as in its immediate neighborhood, the Middle East. He also warned of the risk of destabilization of the Sahel region, in particular the possibility of new mass migratory flows towards Europe, which he said also posed a serious security risk.

It is in the central security interests of Hungary, Europe, and I believe, the entire international community to put an end to as many armed conflicts as possible,”

he emphasized.

The minister said that in any conflict, Hungary would support a ceasefire and direct negotiations between the opposing parties to create a secure environment for the population of the region in question. He stressed that the UN should play a greater role in peace-building and peacekeeping. He also noted that the world organization was not created as a group of like-minded states, but mainly to serve as a platform for dialogue, even between parties that are at enmity with each other.

We Hungarians are in favor of the UN fulfilling its original purpose,”

he stressed.

He underlined that without strengthening the UN’s peacekeeping capacity, many armed conflicts could spiral out of control, and the more places in the world where this happens, the greater the risk of a third world war.

In this context, the foreign minister also pointed out that

Hungarian soldiers and police officers are participating in four UN peacekeeping missions and that the government is ready to contribute to the expansion of these activities of the world organization.

He said that Hungary is providing USD 110,000 to support the development of technologies used in peacekeeping operations. Furthermore, he stressed that the country is ready to help the missions’ mobility with its heavy airlift capacity and is also promoting military training programs for the special forces.

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter