New York, September 30 (MTI) – The conflicts behind Europe’s migration crisis and the crisis itself cannot be solved without pragmatic cooperation with Russia and talks with all parties in the Syrian conflict, the Hungarian foreign minister told MTI in New York City on Wednesday.

“It’s time to do away with naive illusions,” Peter Szijjarto said, adding that cooperation with Russia is crucial to solving the migrant crisis, as Syria is one of the main sources of Europe’s migration wave.

Szijjarto is scheduled to address the UN Security Council debate on fighting terrorism and resolving conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, which is chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Szijjarto noted that the Syrian civil war has led to millions fleeing the region, and added that in order to resolve the migrant crisis, Syria must first be stabilised. He said that the transatlantic alliance must accept that it has to cooperate with Russia in order to settle the conflict.

Szijjarto said that talks with all parties involved in the Syrian conflict would not immediately be centered on what sort of political system should exist after the conflict, adding that the conflict has to be resolved through “step by step” efforts.

“The big steps taken in an attempt to resolve the conflict were ineffective, so we have to solve the Syrian conflict by taking one small step at a time,” he said.

Citing the Iran nuclear deal as an example, Szijjarto said the only way the international community can respond to global challenges is if all the parties involved do their part.

Szijjarto added that “we must make it clear” that the crimes and the persecution of Christians in the Middle East cannot go unpunished, and once again called on the International Criminal Court to investigate these.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters