Foreign minister urges stronger border security, counter-terrorism measures in Europe

Europe faces a number of security challenges, Peter Szijjarto told a UN counter-terrorism conference according to a foreign ministry statement, citing the war in Ukraine and instability in the continent’s southern neighbourhood. Europe must not allow the Ukraine war to fully divert its attention from what is happening to its south, the minister said.

Szijjarto said the war in Ukraine also posed a significant challenge in terms of the fight against terrorism after the Islamic State had called on its followers to take advantage of the war and stage attacks in Europe.

Another important factor, he said, was that Russia and Ukraine account for 15-16 percent of global grain exports, which was expected to drop significantly in the coming months.

This will lead to problems in food supply in places where the security situation is already unstable, Szijjarto said. That could cause further destabilisation in Africa and certain countries of the Middle East which could lead to the spread of extremist ideologies and terrorism, he added.

The minister said the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts should be strengthened significantly, otherwise Europe would face severe threats of terrorism in the near future. Szijjarto said the UN should allocate more financial resources towards counter-terrorism.

Szijjarto also said the international community should work to create secure conditions locally instead of encouraging people in danger to leave their homes. This would prevent the emergence of new migration waves, he said.