Szijjarto calls on international politics to ‘return to mutual respect’

Szijjarto said that Hungary, a neighbour of Ukraine, had been living with the consequences of the war for two and a half years now, with 1.5 million refugees having come to Hungary, a period of soaring inflation, while refugee children still attended some 1,000 schools in the country.

Szijjarto said the response of Europe and the international community had not brought peace closer. Sanctions harmed certain European countries more than they did Russia, he said, insisting that many European countries and companies circumvented sanctions.

Weapon deliveries only served to increase the number of casualties, Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto said Hungary promoted a ceasefire and peace talks, as the war had no solution on the battlefield. When the war started, Hungary offered to host peace talks for the warring parties, “and that invitation still stands”, he said.

He lamented that the word “peace” had become a “curse word”, adding that those who spoke about peace were “attacked and stigmatised”.

International politics must return to the principle of mutual respect and diplomacy must take centre stage, he said, adding that true diplomacy entailed talking to “everyone” rather than “only those who agree with us on everything”.