Szijjarto: ‘Time for pro-peace global majority to turn up the volume’

Arriving at a session of the United Nations Security Council, Szijjarto underlined the importance of “breaking the vicious cycle” of war, migration waves, the threat of terrorism and environmental challenges, saying that Tuesday’s session would give “pro-peace states” a chance to be more firm in having their voices heard”.

Though pro-peace countries represent a substantial majority given that the countries of the Middle East, the Gulf region, many African, Latin American, Far Eastern and Asian countries, including China, are among the pro-peace majority, “our voice is not as loud as the voices of those who impose decisions and measures that escalate the war.” Szijjarto said, according to a ministry statement.

“Somehow the rhetoric of war is still louder and more voluble than the rhetoric of peace,” the minister said. “So it’s time for the pro-peace global majority to turn up the volume.”

He said the situation had deteriorated significantly compared with how it had been a year ago, arguing that intensifying migration waves, a worsening global threat of terrorism, the war and environmental challenges formed a vicious cycle.

These challenges must be addressed urgently by the international community, otherwise they will lead to “irreversible problems”, he warned.

The war has caused Russian and Ukrainian grain exports to fall to a fraction of what they were, putting several countries that already faced uncertainty at risk of instability, which fuels the spread of extremist ideologies, Szijjarto said.

The threat of terrorism is greater than ever, he said, noting that Africa has seen more terrorist attacks than ever before and that this growing threat was one of the main causes of the emergence of migration waves.

The rise in migration puts countries directly impacted by the negative effects of the war in Ukraine, such as Hungary, under “double security pressure”, the minister said.

“Not to mention that the war is intensifying in the area where Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant is located,” he said, referring to the Zaporizhzhia oblast. “And unfortunately these kinds of developments always give rise to the ideologically-based fact-free series of attacks against nuclear energy.”

Szijjarto said climate change could not be stopped and environmental protection goals could not be reached without nuclear energy.