Hungarian government continues to be ready to contribute to intl humanitarian aid – UPDATE 🔄

Hungary spent over 70 million euros on humanitarian aid worldwide last year and is ready to continue contributing to international efforts, the foreign minister said in Brussels on Monday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the European Humanitarian Forum, Péter Szijjártó said humanity was facing a global humanitarian disaster, mainly due to “one of the worse security situations of the past couple of decades”.

Some 30 countries and regions are currently suffering armed conflict, the gravest of them raging in Ukraine and the Gaza strip, Szijjártó said.

Humanitarian aid to Ukraine

As a neighbour of Ukraine, Hungary has been facing the “tragic consequences” of the war for two years as over one million refugees arrived in the country, he said. He said those who decided to stay in the country were offered access to education and health care, with some 1,600 schools and kindergartens now receiving Ukrainian children.

Szijjártó said Hungary was staging the largest humanitarian action of its history, and was ready to continue providing aid. “But we also know that the real solution to this tragic situation would be the war coming to its end. Therefore, we will increase our efforts to stand up for peace.”

Humanitarian aid to Gaza

Regarding the conflict in Gaza, Szijjártó said the protection of civilians was paramount and called for aid from Egypt, “which is bearing a lot of the burden.” He said Hungary has sent 200 ventilators and other healthcare equipment to the country.

Szijjártó said the international community also had a responsibility to stave off the threat of terrorism, one of the root causes of migration. Creating safe circumstances for everyone to make a living in their homeland was “a global responsibility”, he said.

Humanitarian aid to Chad

The foreign minister added that Hungary is setting up a humanitarian and development center in Chad and is ready to deploy troops to the country to help combat terrorism.

As we wrote earlier, Hungary supports Chad, one of the poorest and most autocratic states in the world with soldiers, a development centre, and even a model farm. What for? The connection may be Hungary’s developing ties with France.

As we wrote earlier, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta has opened a health centre set up in Hungary, details HERE.

UPDATE

Hungary providing humanitarian support to Gaza refugees

Hungary provides humanitarian aid to the civilians suffering under the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, the foreign ministry state secretary in charge of aid to persecuted Christian communities said in Brussels on Monday.

Speaking to MTI after addressing the European Humanitarian Forum, Tristan Azbej said Hungary is helping Egypt manage the influx of refugees from Gaza by providing the country with medical supplies and financial aid. Hungary has also sent 400,000 US dollars’ worth of humanitarian aid to both Christians and Muslims in the Palestinian territories via the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, he added.

Meanwhile, Azbej said Hungary “hasn’t forgotten about the crisis zones that get less global attention”, either, noting that the government had launched a humanitarian and development project in the Sahel, which is facing political instability, desertification, a food crisis, a water shortage and civil wars.

Hungary, through its Hungary Helps humanitarian programme, has also sent a medical mission to Chad to aid internally displaced people as well as Sudanese and other refugees there, Azbej said. The government also helps persecuted Christians in Nigeria living under the threat of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups, the state secretary added.

“We believe in providing both immediate and long-term assistance to local communities,” Azbej said, underscoring the importance of Hungary’s support for the Chadian authorities caring for refugees.