Foreign Miniszter Szijjarto: coordinated US-Russian action needed in Syria

Budapest, October 2 (MTI) – An agreement between the US and Russia to take coordinated action in Syria is a precondition for breakthrough success in the fight against Islamic State, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in New York on Thursday, local time.

He told public news portal hirado.hu by phone that action against the terrorist organisation needs to be increased. The participants’ willingness to up the fight has already been expressed but they have not yet acted on it, Szijjarto added.

Russia’s air strikes against IS in Syria, on the approval of Bashar al-Assad’s government, have been a subject of debate in the United Nations and the US has condemned them, Szijjarto said. This is aggravating because instead of coordination talks about the details of joint action and cooperation, a debate has been strarted about who is bombing where, Szijjarto added. He expressed hope that the large powers will demonstrate “pragmatic thinking” and make decisions in line with global interests.

Asked whether Hungary is under increased threat by the IS as a result of training provided by Hungarian soldiers to Kurdish fighters in Iraq, he said that prior to asking parliament’s approval to the training scheme, the risks to national security had been properly analysed and all possibilities had been assessed.

Commenting on recent clashes between migrants and police at the Roszke border crossing between Hungary and Serbia, he said he had explained the details at talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his two deputies who “acknowledged” the explanation.

Photo: MTI

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