Swiss Peace Summit: Hungary Ready to Mediate between Ukraine and Russia

In order to promote peace in Ukraine, the two-day Swiss peace summit was held between June 15-16, where Hungary was represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. “Since Hungary has kept the channels of communication with Russia open, Hungary is ready to mediate with Russia to preserve peace and further human lives,” he said in his speech on Sunday, the closing day of the event.

Péter Szijjártó emphasized that he represents a country neighboring Ukraine, a country that has been living in the shadow of war for almost two and a half years and has therefore been directly confronted with the humanitarian consequences of the war. More than 1.3 million refugees have arrived in Hungary from Ukraine, including families torn apart, without fathers or husbands, he said.

He noted that Ukrainian families arriving in the country would have access to Hungarian healthcare and education. Currently, there are about 1,600 schools and kindergartens in Hungary where children of Ukrainian refugee families attend. He added that financial support is being given to Hungarian employers who employ Ukrainian refugees, and summer camps have been established for hundreds of Ukrainian children since the war broke out. As he said,

this is Hungary’s biggest humanitarian aid operation and will continue as long as necessary.

The Minister also noted that there are about 150,000 Hungarians living in the western part of Ukraine, therefore Hungary is well aware of the suffering that Ukrainian citizens, including Hungarians in  Transcarpathia, have had to endure over the past two and a half years. “We know how many of them were sent to the front, we know how many died,” he said.

We are basically the last European country that has not broken off communication with the Russian Federation. It keeps the channels of communication open and can negotiate with Russia,”

he pointed out.

He stressed that in order to “save children, to save families from being torn apart,” Hungary is ready to play its part. “Please do not consider it a bad thing that the channels of communication are open,” he said.

The final declaration, issued on the closing day of the summit, was signed by 81 of the 93 countries participating, including Hungary, as well as the European Union. India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Mexico, Armenia, Vatican City, Colombia, and the Republic of South Africa were not among the signatories. Brazil, an observer, also did not sign the document, but Turkey, which is trying to mediate the conflict, did. Russia did not receive an invitation to the conference, while Moscow’s main ally China cancelled its participation, Hirado.hu reports.

In the final declaration, focusing above all on nuclear safety, food security, and prisoner of war exchanges, the signatories state that the UN Charter and

respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

“The Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine is causing widespread human suffering and destruction and creating risks and crises with global consequences,” the document stresses. It also notes that peace requires the participation of all parties concerned.

Via MTI, Hirado.hu; Featured image: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter