Hungarian minister afraid of ‘History’s biggest humanitarian catastrophe’

The international community should join forces to prevent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Muscat on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting of representatives of the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Szijjártó expressed the Hungarian government’s concern and called for a responsible approach, warning that developments could “easily lead to the gravest humanitarian disaster in history”. The minister said it was regrettable that the conflict had flared up “at the worst possible time”, when stabilisation was under way and the parties had taken significant steps towards peace. “Those achievements may now be ruined,” he added.

Sustainable peace in the Middle East, he said, was crucial, adding that GCC members could play an important role in preventing escalation. Intervention by the group had played “a positive and stabilising role in respect of a number of previous regional conflicts,” he added. The minister said he hoped the world could rely on their efforts towards a settlement that improved European security. Reinforcing cooperation between the EU and GCC “is needed now more than ever”, he said, and urged talks on such issues as lifting visa requirements and signing a free trade agreement with GCC members.

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EU-GCC cooperation would be a vital tool in tackling humanitarian crises worldwide, Szijjártó said. “We all know that waves of migration are primarily triggered by armed conflicts, wars, and the mounting threat of terrorism,” he said, adding that “the global security situation has a direct impact on migratory pressure on the EU … whenever the world’s security is improves, pressure of migration on Europe eases; when the security situation deteriorates, it grows.”

“That is why Europe is has an committed interest in settling armed conflicts in a peaceful way,” Szijjártó added.

Szijjártó: EU-Gulf states foreign ministerial meeting ‘of historic importance’

The foreign ministerial meeting of the European Union and the Arab states of the Gulf bears historic importance in light of the latest developments in the Middle East, the foreign minister said on Tuesday. Péter Szijjártó expressed hope on Facebook in Oman that “all European participants will strike a sincere and respectful voice, and they will not use Tuesday’s meeting to criticise or lecture”.

Szijjártó said that ahead of the meeting, he held bilateral talks with Arab counterparts. The first meeting was held with the host country’s foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, “who has already done much for the development of bilateral relations and decided to set up an embassy in Budapest”. The charge d’affaires has already arrived and is making preparations for the embassy, he added.

Tuesday’s meeting focused on energy cooperation between Oman and Hungary, he said. Hungary is dedicated to establishing the conditions for sustainable and environmentally friendly energy use, but the government has made it clear that progress must be made at a sensible pace, without damaging the competitiveness of the economy, he said. Developments linked to green hydrogen offer a good opportunity, he said.

“Oman is one of the global leaders in green hydrogen development, so it’s a great success for us that Hungary has become Oman’s first central European partner in green hydrogen research and development on the basis of the agreement signed today,” Szijjártó added.