Szijjarto: Donald Trump’s method should be applied in connection with Ukraine war

The foreign ministry cited Szijjarto as saying on his way to the United Nations Security Council session that following years of unsuccessful attempts to achieve peace in the Middle East, it was Trump’s approach that resulted in the signing of the Abraham Accords. The US government managed to convince countries to rebuild their channels of communication following long decades when they were at war or at least in deep conflict with each other, he added.

“This is the key [to success] in Ukraine, too”, he said. “In order to achieve peace, the belligerent parties should open channels of communications because peace will never be restored without negotiations,” he added.

The minister also stressed the need to start Russian-American negotiations on the matter.

Szijjarto noted that the purpose of setting up the United Nations had been to promote global peace and this must be kept in mind even today.

Considering that the UN General Assembly has a Hungarian chairman, Hungary has an opportunity to contribute to the start of dialogue between the sides that stand against each other, he added.

Europe is facing the most severe security crisis since World War Two and the continent would not be able to handle an additional security risk, he said. It is all the more reasonable to make progress towards security in the Middle East, because instability in that region has a direct impact on the security of Europe, by way of terrorist threats and illegal migration, he added. “Peace and stability in the Middle East is a basic interest for Europe,” the minister said.

Szijjarto also addressed the issue of the global food crisis, which he attributed to the armed conflict in Ukraine. The sudden halt in Ukrainian and Russian grains supplies resulted in food supply crises in several parts of the world, he added.

Shortage of food can trigger violence and terrorism which then generate new waves of migration, he said.

Szijjarto called it an important development that a new intermodal terminal had recently opened in Fenyeslitke on the Hungary-Ukraine border, with a capacity twice the previous largest terminal’s in Europe. Some 800 tonnes of grain per hour can pass through and continue on its way to ports in the northern Adriatic and further to global markets, he added.