Terrorism and Illegal Immigration Form a “Vicious Circle,” according to Foreign Minister

The intensification of migration flows to Europe poses a huge threat, as it is clear that terrorism and illegal immigration are forming a kind of “vicious circle” with each other, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in New York on Wednesday.

The minister warned that despite all efforts, the global terrorist threat is more serious than ever, with 6,700 people killed in various attacks last year. Among the reasons, he said, was the “vicious circle” between terrorism and illegal immigration.

“The more serious the terrorist threat, the more serious the migratory pressure, the more people are involved in migratory flows, the greater the chance that members of terrorist organizations can also illegally reach distant parts of the world,”

he explained. “Therefore, we need to reinforce efforts to fight against terrorism, as we see that migration flows to Europe are getting more and more serious, and as they get more serious, the threat of terrorism is also increasing significantly,” he warned.

He also stressed that while the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) only contributes three percent of the UN’s budget, the rest has to be raised by member states. He added that

Hungary had made a major contribution by establishing the second largest UNOCT headquarters in Budapest. Twenty-five international experts are currently working here, and the role of the office is to be further strengthened.

In the afternoon, Péter Szijjártó held talks with eight of his counterparts at the UN General Assembly, including representatives from Bahrain, Chad, Moldova, and the Vatican. The talks focused on the challenges of the war in Ukraine. “The war is a regional war in the physical sense and we hope it will not go further than that, however, its effects are global and the whole world is now waiting for it to end,” he stressed. He added that

“many countries do not understand why Europeans always call for a cessation of fighting, peaceful settlements, and negotiations in armed conflicts, but this time the continent is taking a different approach.”

“Now that there is a war in Europe, it seems to them, and unfortunately not entirely without reason, that the Europeans are fomenting tension and causing a prolongation of the war rather than an end to it,” he said. According to him, however, the Hungarian pro-peace stance is held in high esteem around the world.

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/KKM