Hungarian foreign minister: US-Russia pact needed to resolve Syria conflict – UPDATE

Gyöngyöshalasz, April 7 (MTI) – The conflict in Syria cannot be resolved without a US-Russia agreement “but we are currently furthest away from that”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

Szijjártó was attending the opening ceremony of an Apollo Tyres factory in Gyöngyöshalász, in northern Hungary, and was asked to comment about last night’s US air strikes in Syria.

“It is in the interest of Hungary, Europe and, I believe, the whole world that a US-Russia agreement is concluded on a Syria settlement as soon as possible. At the same time … it would be not too pessimistic to say that we are currently the furthest away from that, taking into account the events of recent years,” he told the press.

It is a priority interest for Hungary that conflicts in the vicinity of Europe are resolved as soon as possible by the countries that can exert such an influence, he added.

Szijjarto said Hungary most resolutely condemns the use of all chemical weapons and “all we can do is express our hope that such things will not happen in the future”.

In response to a question, he said the Hungarian government’s position has always been clear: the fight against terrorism, with Syria the main battleground, is one of the most important duties of the civilised world.

UPDATE

Government condemns Syria chemical attack, calls for early settlement in Syria

The Hungarian government condemns all attacks using chemical weapons, the foreign ministry said on Friday. The developments “confirm that resolving the Syrian conflict through negotiations cannot bear any delay”, the ministry said in response to a query by MTI.

Referring to the recent chemical weapons incident in Syria in which 86 people died, the ministry said: “Every effort must be made to prevent such monstrosities”.

The ministry noted the importance of continuing the fight against the Islamic State. As long as IS remains in the region, “there will be no peace and illegal migration will persist”. Peace in the long term depends on cooperation between the US and Russia, the ministry added.

Source: MTI