By opening a regional centre in Budapest, UNOCT has given Hungary an important role in the global fight against terrorism, Szijjártó said.Continue reading
Hungary and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) have signed an agreement on the participation of Hungarian experts in the training of African specialists in the fight against the global terrorist threat, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced in New York on Tuesday.
Following his meeting with UNOCT Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov, Péter Szijjártó said that Hungarian counter-terrorism and IT experts will in future provide training to their African counterparts to help them better detect potential terrorists.
Through joint efforts, we will prevent terrorists from using international passenger traffic to move between different parts of the world, and thus we will also be able to curb the global terrorist threat,”
the Foreign Minister said, adding that Hungary has a modern system in place to this end.
“In the case of Africa, this is a serious problem, how terrorists from the Middle East and Europe get to Africa or can get to Africa. The more terrorists get there, the bigger the problem,” he underlined. He added that, of course, the same is true in reverse, so it is important to prevent terrorists from using international passenger transport to move around the world.
Szijjártó added that in addition to promoting the dialogue necessary for peace, the most important task of the UN is to fight terrorism. He pointed out that Hungary is also an important player in the latter field, as
the UNOCT regional headquarters is located in Budapest, the second largest office after New York, from where the work of the UNOCT is carried out to help African countries in their fight against terrorism.
The Minister concluded by saying that the threat of terrorism in the world has never been greater than it is today. “We have often tried to convince ourselves that we have defeated the Islamic State, perhaps the largest and most brutal terrorist organization in the world, and then time and again it becomes clear that this is not true,” he emphasized.
He also recalled that Hungary continues to participate in the training mission in Iraq and to assist communities that are the main targets of terrorists to avoid displacement.
Featured photo via Facebook/UN Counter-terrorism Committee Executive Directorate
