Minister: Hungary, China agree on need to multiply efforts for peace
“The UN must finally speak out and finally take on a role,” Szijjarto said, according to a ministry statement. “The UN cannot hide in the comfortable offices in New York, but must take a stand for reopening diplomatic communication channels.”
He noted that the UN had been established to allow for dialogue between those locked in conflict.
Szijjarto said the Hungarian government had recently “come under attack” from “all of Europe’s pro-war politicians”, but this “won’t deter us from continuing the peace mission”.
He said the liberal mainstream was “pushing pro-war propaganda in the transatlantic bubble so hard”, that it gave people in Europe and America the impression that “this is the opinion of the whole world, when it is not”.
“The global majority wants peace and doesn’t at all understand why Europe doesn’t have a peace strategy . why it’s copying the American strategy,” Szijjarto said. “And the global majority is watching the efforts of the Hungarian peace mission with great sympathy, interest and appreciation.”
Szijjarto said he will meet his Russian counterpart, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations and the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“This war going on in Ukraine has caused an enormous humanitarian disaster; we Hungarians can see that as well,” he said. “We’ve welcomed more than a million refugees, we see the separated families, we see the forced, unacceptable conscription operations that violate all human rights.”
Szijjarto warned against the danger of “the Western world ignoring the risk of escalation” when making decisions on weapons deliveries.
Meanwhile, the minister said he is also scheduled to hold talks on Tuesday with executives of American companies such as Kyndryl and Johnson and Johnson on potentially bolstering their presence in Hungary.
He said he will also hold talks with his Bahraini, Iranian and Cape Verdean counterparts.
He said Hungary and Bahrain will finalise an investment protection agreement, and said it was “good news” that a Hungarian company had provided the opportunity for cashless payment at the last Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Hungary and Cape Verde will sign an agreement on Hungary continuing to offer scholarships to 20 university students from Cape Verde each year, he said. Also, Hungarian companies will carry out investments with a view to improving the water supply as part of a 42 million euro tied-aid scheme, he added.
Szijjarto said he will also meet his Iranian counterpart and tell him that Hungary’s interests lay in the swiftest possible resolution to the Middle East crisis.
