Hungary continues to promote European Union (EU) enlargement as soon as possible because the community has been in great need of new impetus and dynamism, which the accession of Western Balkans countries could provide, the foreign minister said in Berlin on Tuesday.
“We believe the Western Balkans is the place from where this new inspiration and new impetus could come,” he said. “This is why we put enlargement at the top when we compiled the programme of Hungary’s EU presidency,” he added. He condemned that candidate countries from the region had been waiting for eleven years and five months on average for accession and their request for candidacy had been submitted more than fifteen years ago.
“It is obvious that if we do not make progress in this process, it will hurt the credibility of the EU’s enlargement policy,”
he said. Szijjártó added that his EU counterparts would frequently talk about the importance of a merit-based process but the failure to make progress would actually show that this principle was being neglected. “It is very obvious that despite the good performance of the candidates, the enlargement process is not moving ahead,” he said.
He said it was during Hungary’s previous EU presidency that the EU was last time enlarged, when Croatia’s accession process was successfully finalised.
“In the next three months of Hungary’s presidency, the EU will hold inter-governmental conferences with the five candidate countries from the Western Balkans, at least this is our definite goal,” he said.
The foreign minister said that the soonest inter-governmental conference can be held with Albania in mid-October, where the first group of chapters can be opened for talks. Szijjártó added Serbia was a key state for the region and it was therefore unavoidable and extremely important to make progress in its integration process. “An indispensable element of this is to hold an intergovernmental conference also with Serbia,” he said, adding that “we believe that the third group of chapters needs to be opened with Serbia”.
Commenting on Montenegro, he said chapters could even be closed in the case of that country, not only opened. “Montenegro has been performing well, at least four chapters could be closed,” he added.
Szijjártó said consultations with Bosnia and Herzegovina were on going and the country was also performing well.
He expressed regret that certain EU members were blocking the accession process for North Macedonia. “North Macedonia deserves progress, and therefore it is important to hold a political inter-governmental conference in the next three months.”
Hungarians “lost forty years of our lives” after the country found itself “on the wrong side” of the previous world order, Szijjártó said in a panel discussion at the Berlin Global Dialogue forum, according to a ministry statement, adding that Hungary was “extremely concerned” by recent global developments.
He said Hungary’s main goal now is to contribute to international efforts to prevent the re-emergence of blocs.
He said the Hungarian government’s interests lay in connectivity, and expressed regret that certain world powers today were not even willing to talk to each other.
The minister underlined the importance of honesty, saying his European Union counterparts often assured him of their support but “cannot afford” to express it publicly because of the domestic political situation in their countries.
“I think that a major luxury we have in Hungary is political stability, and based on that political stability, the luxury of honesty; that we do what we say and we say what we think,” he added.
“And if we continue like this, I … believe that we can be of assistance to the big countries in restarting communication with each other and building the era of connectivity,” Szijjártó said.
He underscored Hungary’s success in becoming a key meeting point for Eastern and Western businesses. He noted that Hungary is home to manufacturing bases of all three big premium German car makers, while five of the world’s ten biggest Eastern battery makers are present in the country.
Szijjártó said Hungary had successfully established a “Berlin-Beijing-Seoul trade and economic cooperation area centred in Hungary”.
He said this made it hard to understand why Germany’s foreign minister favoured “decoupling and de-risking” the EU economy from China when German businesses relied heavily on Eastern suppliers and often urged Hungary to secure such investments.
Szijjártó said Hungary has added 1 million jobs since 2010, has the lowest tax rates in Europe and has broken investment records each year since 2014.
After a meeting of the international coalition against the Islamic State held at the US State Department, a government official underlined the need to support Iraq and its wider region against terrorism “related to uncontrolled migration”.
The Iraqi government has said the country still requires international presence, he said, noting that coalition countries will maintain one in some form. Hungarian soldiers are still on the ground in Iraq.
Leaders coalition delegations pledged to aim to raise 394 million US dollars for areas previously liberated from IS in Iraq and Syria, and more than 200 million dollars has already been raised in pledges. At the same time, they issued a statement underlining their commitment to eradicating IS wherever it operates.
He noted that Hungary is launching cooperation with Chad, including humanitarian, economic, and security elements, to contribute to efforts to shore up security and combat migration.
Meanwhile, Sztáray said the 2015 migration wave had proved Hungary right that the uncontrolled influx of migrants undermined European security.
Hungary continued to promote peace as the only way “to end the suffering of hundreds of thousands or millions of people and families,” Szijjártó said.
“Hungary is supporting all initiatives bringing about a swift peace, and those raising the hope that the war can be concluded with negotiations and diplomacy,” he said.
Szijjártó confirmed to Sybiha that Hungary would continue “the largest humanitarian mission of its history” until it is needed to help people in difficulties he said.
He said the number of refugees has topped 1.4 million, and nearly 15,000 Ukrainian children have had the opportunity to attend summer camps in Hungary. Hungary has ploughed 66 billion forints (EUR 166.4m) into support for Ukraine, and Ukrainian children are now attending hundreds of schools and kindergartens.
“Hungary is ready to take part in the reconstruction of Ukraine, this is not just a cliche on our part – we’re taking action too. We have been taking part in reconstruction even as the war is still ongoing, as well as the work necessary to restore the operation of healthcare and educational institutions,” Szijjártó said.
Szijjártó also highlighted Hungary’s role in the safe natural gas and electricity supply of Ukraine.
“Since the start of the war, some 300 billion cubic meters of natural gas has flowed through Hungary into Ukraine, and it has also become the largest resource of electricity imports for Ukraine since June. During the summer, some 45 percent of Ukrainian electricity imports arrived in Ukraine from or through Hungary,” he said.
Hungary is also ready to develop cross-border infrastructure, Szijjártó said, noting the recently opened crossing between Nagyhodos and Valyka Palad’ (Nagypalad), and adding that Hungary was ready to increase the capacity of the crossing at Beregsurany. The government has also supported the construction of a large logistical centre in Fenyeslitke, “and we are ready to build a new bridge on the River Tisza”, he said.
“I have also confirmed that we are ready to set up a cross-border company development area,” he said.
Regarding the contested issues between the two countries Szijjártó said bilateral ties must be based on “mutual goodwill, respect and good faith”.
“With respect, we expect Ukraine to restore the rights of the Hungarian ethnic community in access to the mother tongue, education, culture, and public administration.” He added that the ministers have agreed to speed up the work of the working groups addressing Hungary’s 11-point proposal to resolve the situation.
Szijjártó asked Sybiha to ensure that Kyiv refrains from “sudden unilateral moves that put our country’s supplies at risk”, just as Hungary is ensuring the full capacity of energy deliveries to Ukraine.
“I also asked the minister to ensure that Hungarian companies are not discriminated against,” he said.
“The meeting has convinced me that the intention to develop neighbourly relations is mutual,” Szijjártó said.
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Szijjártósaid that Hungary, a neighbour of Ukraine, had been living with the consequences of the war for two and a half years now, with 1.5 million refugees having come to Hungary, a period of soaring inflation, while refugee children still attended some 1,000 schools in the country.
Szijjártó said the response of Europe and the international community had not brought peace closer. Sanctions harmed certain European countries more than they did Russia, he said, insisting that many European countries and companies circumvented sanctions.
Weapon deliveries only served to increase the number of casualties, Szijjártó said.
Szijjártó said Hungary promoted a ceasefire and peace talks, as the war had no solution on the battlefield. When the war started, Hungary offered to host peace talks for the warring parties, “and that invitation still stands”, he said.
He lamented that the word “peace” had become a “curse word”, adding that those who spoke about peace were “attacked and stigmatised”.
International politics must return to the principle of mutual respect and diplomacy must take centre stage, he said, adding that true diplomacy entailed talking to “everyone” rather than “only those who agree with us on everything”.
The foreign ministry cited Szijjártó telling a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations meeting in New York that armed conflicts were underway in some thirty locations around the world, with the threat of terrorism on the increase, and waves of illegal migration representing risks.
The UN initiative now has a special significance, because it is vitally important to ensure the peaceful coexistence of national and religious communities, he added. Hungary is proud of the history of its Christian state and feels responsibility for Christian communities around the world, he said. Christians are the most persecuted community in the world, with some 365 million Christians living in places where they are subject to persecution or attacks by terrorist organisations, he added.
The Hungarian government has set up an agency with the special purpose of supporting these communities, which has carried out 368 programmes in 64 countries with a total value of 110 million dollars, he said. Some two million people have been affected by the programmes which involved the rebuilding of churches and helping the operation of hospitals and schools in order to ensure that no Christians are forced to leave their homes, he added.
He said Hungary showed a good example of the peaceful coexistence of national and religious communities. Budapest is a good example, as “Central Europe’s largest Catholic cathedral and one of Europe’s largest synagogues are practically within walking distance,” Szijjártó said. He also said that participants in Jewish festivals or visitors around synagogues “don’t need to face security guards armed to the teeth.”
“We do believe that actually the game changer here can be the US presidential election, in case President Trump wins,” Szijjártósaid, referring specifically to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Because knowing Trump, I think it’s absolutely possible — absolutely likely — that with two phone calls he can end this conflict,” he added.
“No one else can do so,” he insisted. “I think only President Trump has the hope and our hope is all in President Trumpto do this.”
When asked whether that could be understood as a preference for a second Trump administration, Szijjártó responded by saying that “we are not Americans, so we cannot say we prefer this or that.”
“What we can definitely say is the following: Politics is based on experience, and we have a clear experience about the term of President Trump in office, and we have clear experience from the terms when the Democrats were there,” he said.
“From the aspect of the US-Hungary relations and from the aspect of the global security situation, when it comes to the US-Hungary relations, it’s obvious that during [the term of] President Trump, these relations have been on the top — best ever,” the minister added.
Under the presidency of Donald Trump everything was under control
He said that under the presidency of Donald Trump “everything was under control.” “Since President Trump has left office, the whole global security situation is deteriorating, so, I mean, these are experiences.”
“If we base it on our experience, we say yes, from a perspective of US-Hungary relations, I think President Trump would bring another impetus, freshness, dynamism to this relationship, and I think if President Trump is elected, I think the world has a good chance to become a more peaceful place compared to the current situation,” he said.
He slammed criticisims of Hungary’s efforts towards peace talks, insisting that “those who have been criticizing us, the prime minister, the peace mission, have clearly been the pro-war politicians.”
“They just simply don’t like that there is a country, there is a government, there is a prime minister in Europe who speaks direct language, who speaks honestly and who is not a hostage of the liberal mainstream,” Szijjártó said. “Therefore, it is very unpleasant and inconvenient for them that we are there and that we act, that we speak, that we make actions.”
The foreign minister rejected the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, saying that “including Ukraine into NATO would put us in a totally exposed situation, security-wise, because it would mean that NATO could be easily dragged into a war against Russia at any time, and this is something that we don’t want.”
“Everyone knows that any kind of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would mean an outbreak of third world war immediately, and we have joined NATO to enhance our security and not to make ourselves exposed.”
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The dependability of energy supply is the most important issue for Hungary, and Belarus generally does not get the attention it deserves in this regard, the ministry cited Szijjártóas saying.
Szijjártó pointed to the danger posed recently to Hungary and Slovakia’s oil supplies as a result of Ukrainian measures to restrict Russian Lukoil deliveries. Thanks to coordinated action on the part of the Hungarian government, oil and gas company MOL and the Russian partner’s flexible approach, Ukraine transit deliveries have resumed, he noted.
“And we must not forget that the Druzhba pipeline runs through Belarus to Ukraine’s border,” he said.
Szijjártó noted that the volume of oil delivered via the Druzhba to Hungary in recent days exceeded 3 million tonnes, and he thanked Belarus for ensuring its continued transit.
Nuclear cooperation will also be on the agenda, with the expansion of the Paks power plant having reached “another milestone”, with soil excavation under way and concrete scheduled to be poured by year-end, he said.
Based on International Atomic Energy Agency standards, the Paks site is now registered as a nuclear power plant under construction, he added.
A power plant using similar technology was recently built in Belarus, and the engineers who worked there are now working at Paks. “The Russian contractor is continually transferring the freed-up workforce from Belarus to the Paks site. So, the investment can be expected to speed up significantly,” he said.
Global powers’ failure to negotiate is ‘nonsense’, says Szijjártó
At a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, he warned against initiatives to establish blocs, as in the Cold War, and said it was in Hungary’s interest to avoid such developments, given its history. Hungary backs fair international cooperation that is based on mutual respect, a system in which countries aren’t “chastised”, he added.
The whole world could profit if the principle of connectivity were to be adopted in the coming period, he said. Hungary’s pragmatic economic and foreign policy has made the country a “meeting point” between companies, especially automotive industry companies, from the East and the West, he added.
He noted that Hungary was home to all three premium German carmakers and five of the world’s ten biggest battery makers. “This shows that efforts to decouple the economies of the East and the West are nonsense,” he said. Hungary’s government is opposed to any measure that advances polarisation and that further restricts global free trade, he added. “We Hungarians are counting on the openness and wisdom of G20 countries, with whose support we can enter the era of connectivity instead of reverting to the Cold War era,” he said.
UPDATE: Szijjrátó asks UN SG to intercede to start dialogue between global powers
Szijjártó asked United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to intercede to advance negotiations between the United States and Russia in New York on Thursday, his ministry said. After meeting with Guterres, Szijjártó warned that the failure of the world’s biggest powers to speak to each other presented an “extraordinary risk” in terms of global security.
“We also know well that it comes with the risk that the world will be divided into blocs again and we could return to the nightmare that was the Cold War,” he added.
“I’ve asked the UN secretary-general to intercede in the interest of getting the global powers, the Americans and the Russians, to finally talk to each other,” Szijjarto said.
He added that an end to the Ukraine war would not be possible without American-Russian dialogue.
Szijjártó said the UN needed to take up its original role as a platform for establishing dialogue between countries that were on bad terms or in conflict.
The start of an American-Russian dialogue could bring “new hope” for global security, as well as the security of Central Europe, he added.
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Maintaining ties with Russia on the basis of mutual respect, and advancing cooperation in areas that are not affected by sanctions is in Hungary’s interest, Szijjártósaid after the meeting.
He added that the Russian foreign minister always strived to accommodate the requests of the Hungarian government and was positive and open to resolving important matters affecting the sides.
Szijjártó said another “milestone” had been reached in the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant with the start of full excavation. The first concrete at the site will be poured by year-end, which is necessary for the project’s “under construction” designation according to National Atomic Energy Agency standards, he added.
Hungary is counting on cooperation with Russia to extend the lifespan of the existing four blocks at Paks, he said.
Photo: FB/Szijjártó
Hungarian FM acknowledged Russia’s flexibility
Szijjártó acknowledged Russia’s flexibility in the matter of ensuring Hungary’s crude supply after measures by Ukraine threatened transit deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia.
Speaking about a visit by the Ukrainian foreign minister to Budapest in the coming week, Szijjártó said minority rights would be on the agenda, pointing to the deprivation of some rights of the Hungarian minority living there. He added that Hungary expected those rights to be restored.
He said the talks would also touch on economic cooperation, including cooperation on transportation and infrastructure developments.
Szijjártó reiterated Hungary’s pro-peace position and hope for a ceasefire, peace talks and the end of the war as soon as possible.
Szijjártó: ‘Fastest way to peace’ the real issue
After the fall of communism and Hungary’s Euro-Atlantic integration, “we would not have thought that we would be facing again the phantom of cold war,” he said.
As a neighbour of Ukraine, Hungary “has been living in the shadow of war” and facing its consequences by accepting 1.3 million refugees from the country, Szijjártósaid. “We have been paying the price of a war which is not our war, and for the outbreak of which we do not bear any kind of responsibility.”
“I think that after almost a thousand days, the real question is not what we think of the war, the real question is how peace could be made. Or even more precisely … we have to ask which is the fastest way to peace. Because we have to pick that one,” Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary wanted no more destruction.
The success of the European Union and the international community’s response to the war must also be weighed carefully, he said. “And if we are honest with ourselves, we have to say that practically nothing has worked out … [that] was based on an assumption that there might be a solution on the battlefield.”
Weapons deliveries made no sense
The international community must also ask whether weapons deliveries “made any sense”, Szijjártó said. “And obviously, they have made no sense … because weapon deliveries have not changed the situation on the battlefield and they have not brought us closer to peace either.” Weapon deliveries had only increased the number of weapons on either side and prolonged the war, he said.
He also called on those deciding on whether weapons from the West would be allowed to be used in “strategic depth in Russia” to make responsible decisions and to consider the danger of escalation such a step would bring.
Szijjártó said Hungary was deeply concerned over the “open and shameless reference of the possible use of nuclear weapons”.
Seeking a solution at the negotiating table would save many lives, Szijjártó said. “Therefore Hungary argues in favour of an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace talks. This would be the fastest way to peace.”
The minister said the “international liberal mainstream” had turned “peace into a curse word”. Those arguing in favour of peace “will be immediately attacked and stigmatised”, he said.
He called on the UN to play a bigger role in the diplomatic efforts to end the war, as it provides a legitimate forum for warring parties to negotiate.
Szijjártó said Hungary considered it “nonsense and unacceptable” that representatives of world powers were not talking to each other, as that posed national security threats as well as the danger that the world would be divided into blocs again.
East-West cooperation is important
The world could benefit greatly from a “civilised East to West cooperation”, he said, adding that Hungary’s foreign policy was pragmatic and patriotic.
Global politics needed a fundamental change and must return to the principle of mutual respect by once again using dialogue and diplomacy as its most important tools, he said.
The fact that the supporters of peace were in the majority in the UN gave cause for hope, and Hungary was proud to be a member of “this global majority for peace”, he said. “And we are ready to support all global initiatives which are aiming at reaching peace, and we are ready to discuss all peace plans.”
At the same time, Szijjártó said it was “unacceptable that some countries would like to give exclusivity to one or another peace plan… We absolutely want all peace plans to be discussed,” he said, commending China and Brazil for drafting one and expressing hope that that peace plan would also be on the agenda.
He said economic sanctions were useless and hurt certain European countries more than they did Russia.
Brussels committed a huge mistake
Regarding illegal migration, Szijjártó said Brussels had committed a “huge mistake” when trying to manage rather than stop migration. Hungary stood by its right to determine whom to allow into the country, he said. International law said all those forced to flee their homes had the right to temporary asylum in the first safe country, “but not on the second, the third or the fourth one”. “Hungary will continue to stop the flow of illegal migration on its border, through which basically we save Europe from further huge security-related challenges”, he said. “In the meantime, it is insane” that Hungary had to pay hundreds of millions of euros in fines “because of complying with international law”, Szijjártó said.
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“We will, of course, discuss the security situation with Sergey Lavrov,” Szijjártósaid, according to a ministry statement. “The Russians are, of course, aware of Hungary’s position. We want peace as soon as possible because the sooner there is peace the fewer people will die in Ukraine.”
Szijjártó said the past two days had convinced him that the European Union’s “condescending and pedantic tone” had pushed the bloc’s member states into the minority in the United Nations.
Photo: FB/Szijjártó
“The vast majority of the countries of the rest of the world have simply had enough of paying the price of the war in Europe whether it be in the form of rising energy prices, a downturn in food security or inflation, and they see that Europe itself keeps fuelling the conflict instead of trying to bring an end to it,” the minister said.
Mutual respect, says the foreign minister
As regards Hungarian-Russian bilateral matters, Szijjártó said Hungary needed fair cooperation with Russia based on mutual respect in order to ensure the security of its energy supply.
He welcomed the successful resolution of the difficult situation caused by Ukraine’s move to restrict the flow of Russian crude to Hungary. “This required flexibility from the Russian suppliers, which we were shown,” he said.
Szijjártó said Hungary’s natural gas supply was “completely secure”, noting that the capacity and reliability of the South Stream pipeline meant that Hungary would not be impacted if Ukraine decided to cut off the transit of Russian gas at the end of the year.
“This is a more serious issue for some countries in the middle part of Europe, but fortunately it doesn’t affect us,” he said.
Szijjártó calls for preventing regional war in Middle East
Szijjártó called for “sobriety” on the part of the countries in the Middle East in order to prevent the armed conflict in the region from escalating into a regional war. The Middle East has been gripped by a “tragic conflict” since Hamas’s “unacceptable, diabolical terrorist attack” against Israel on October 7 last year, Szijjártó said in New York after talks with his Lebanese and Palestinian counterparts, according to a ministry statement.
Hungary’s position, he said, was clear, noting that the government considered it important to prevent a repeat of such a terrorist attack, demanded the unconditional release of the hostages, and saw it as important to limit the number of civilian casualties and avoid an escalation in the conflict.
“And the way I see it, it’s this fourth point that’s causing most of the difficulty, because it’s been clear from early on that if this armed conflict spreads to another country, it will be very hard to limit the fighting to that other country’s borders,” he warned.
Lebanon “sliding into the conflict”
Szijjártó expressed concern over Lebanon “sliding into the conflict”, arguing that if it entered the war, it would be “very hard to stop the conflict at Lebanon’s borders”.
“And if this armed conflict turns into a regional war, then knowing the situation and level of stability in the region and knowing the role the countries there play in global politics, we are, unfortunately, faced with the threat that another crisis region in addition to Ukraine could totally undermine global security within a matter of moments,” he said.
Szijjártó said it was for this reason that Hungary believed it was critical that every country in the region act responsibly and that a regional war had to be prevented.
He said the people of Lebanon bore no blame for what was happening in the Middle East or for Hezbollah’s rocket strikes against Israel.
The minister expressed hope that innocent civilians, families and children would not have to suffer because of the “brutal actions of terrorist organisations”.
He noted the Hungarian government’s close ties with Lebanon’s Christian community, saying Hungary did not want Lebanese Christians to “face more hardship”.
“We’re in constant contact with the leaders of the Lebanese Christian community, we’ve sent them aid so that they can ensure the community receives the health care they need,” Szijjártó said.
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At the meeting on Tuesday evening local time, Szijjártósaid that Hungary had direct experiences of the negative consequences of the conflict in its neighbourhood and had paid a high price for the war over the past two and a half years, even though it bore no responsibility for its outbreak.
“We Hungarians … do not want further destruction [or] suffering, and we do not want more people to die”, especially given “the significant Hungarian community living in Ukraine”. Arms shipments, he added, would not bring the end of the war any closer, while more and more weapons on both sides only led to more casualties and the growing risk of escalation under the shadow of nuclear weapons.
Photo: FB/Szijjártó
No solution on the battlefield, the foreign minister believes
“We Hungarians argue for a ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations. We Hungarians believe that this is the fastest way to peace,” he said.
“What has happened so far proves that there is no solution on the battlefield…” he added.
Putin and Orbán in July in Moscow. The Hungarian prime minister was on a so-called “peace mission”, but with no apparent success. Photo: FB/Orbán
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Commenting on recent “unsettling reports” from the Middle East, Szijjártó said, according to a ministry statement, that like the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East was moving ever closer to escalation and an expansion of the crisis, “which could also severely undermine global security”.
“The involvement of Lebanon in the conflict, I believe, has significance beyond itself because if one more country becomes involved in the conflict, it will not stop at the country’s borders,” he warned.
“I think the Lebanese people bear no blame for the crisis that has developed, and I really hope that the Lebanese people won’t have to suffer because of it,” he said.
He pointed to the Hungarian government’s close ties with Lebanon’s Christian community, saying they were in constant contact and Hungary would provide them with any help they may need.
“The Hungarian government has carried out roughly 5 billion forints’ worth of development, support, and humanitarian programs in Lebanon in recent years, which were used to build churches and support the operations of schools and monasteries,” he noted.
Szijjártó also expressed hope that “everyone will have the sound judgment in the coming days” needed to prevent a further escalation of the Middle East crisis and “the suffering of further millions.”
Meanwhile, Szijjártó said he is scheduled to meet his Lebanese counterpart on Wednesday, and the Middle East crisis will be one of the topics on the agenda.
Africa strategy
Concerning his bilateral talks scheduled for Tuesday, the minister said he will discuss security matters, including migration pressure, with some of his African and Asian counterparts.
“I think it’s clear to everyone by now that if Europe is unable to draft a comprehensive Africa strategy, it won’t be able to escape a degree of migration pressure that is incomparably greater than what it is experiencing now,” he said.
Szijjártó said Africa’s population is projected to grow by around 750 million over the next two decades, “and these people will have to be given jobs, education, and health care.”
“If we can’t make that happen, we could be faced with the biggest humanitarian disaster in history or the greatest level of migration pressure Europe has ever seen,” he warned.
“It would be good to avoid both, so we’ll be speaking about cooperation on migration and development with the leaders of the African states,” he added.
Honduras
On another subject, Szijjártó said Honduras is joining Hungary’s scholarship programme, with the country set to offer Honduran students the opportunity to study at Hungarian universities. He also welcomed Cuba’s interest in Hungarian water management technologies.
Szijjártó said he would also meet the foreign ministers of Asian countries and that Hungary and Cambodia agreed to open embassies in each other’s countries. The minister said he is set to sign a cooperation agreement on diplomacy training with Uzbekistan and that he will discuss the situation in the Middle East with the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier, Szijjártó met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss the implementation of agreements signed in May, during a visit to Hungary by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the development of ties between Europe and China, and political steps on the global stage in the interest of peace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
“Hungary is a good example of the big economic benefits a civilised East-West cooperation can bring,” Szijjártó said, pointing to business partnerships between Western European and Chinese automotive industry companies to advance electromobility.
He said that the EU’s competitiveness could improve “dramatically” if it cooperated with China instead of “creating confrontation.”
In that context, levying punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs is “a very bad idea,” he said, adding that European automotive industry companies are “protesting the measure tooth and nail.”
“Hungary is against the tariffs and will vote against them. And we hope that in the coming years, a civilised, sensible economic cooperation based on mutual respect can be established with China,” he said.
Hungary “greatly appreciates” the Chinese-Brazilian peace initiative, Szijjártó said. He added that Hungary would continue cooperating closely with China to promote global pro-peace efforts.
Addressing the UN General Assembly’s summit on the future, Szijjártó said the global security situation was at a post-WW2 nadir, with growing terrorism, migration and multiple armed conflicts taking place worldwide.
He called for “mutual respect” to be restored to world politics through dialogue.
Positions that diverged from the mainstream and stood up for national interests were stigmatised and attacked, he said.
He said European politicians liked to talk about reaching a peaceful settlement via diplomacy, but when “war is raging on the continent,” they “attack and criticize anyone who stands up for peace.”
The possible outcomes were a third world war or the world falling into blocks again, he added.
He said that rather than accepting the prevailing opposition between East and West, Hungary is interested in connectivity and a return to fair international cooperation.
He said the UN had not been established “as a club of like-minded countries” but as a forum for “everyone to negotiate about everything.”
“The UN must take up this role once more. My question is: where can we talk about peace if not here?”
“That’s why we won’t accept any constraints on whom we can meet, whom we can’t meet or what topics we can and can’t discuss,” he added.
“We Hungarians are a peace-loving nation in central Europe. What I can promise is that we Hungarians will do everything to ensure that … the future is an period of peace, where international cooperation is fair … and ‘peace’ is not a swearword, and where no one is stigmatised for standing up for peace,”
International politics needs to change fundamentally in order to tackle the current severe crises, and it should return to “mutual respect … and stop using peace as a swearword”, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said in New York on Monday.
He said the ongoing UN General Assembly was the tensest of the past decade.
“There are about thirty wars or armed conflicts ongoing in the world. Two of them could undermine global security any minute. Additionally, two of those conflicts are escalating, or the risk of an escalation is extremely high,” he said, according to a ministry statement.
A summit on the future is taking place on Monday and Tuesday, Szijjártó noted. The meeting is scheduled to table issues on water supplies, population growth and green transition, but those issues have had to take a back seat to the matter of peace and war, he said.
The question, he said, was whether a third world war and the escalation of the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine could be avoided, “and whether the global pro-peace majority can ensure that the word peace is not used as a swearword in international politics”, Szijjártó said.
The minister said he would also address the meeting, stressing that international politics must undergo fundamental change to resolve the current grave crises.
“Diplomacy should provide the tools for international policymaking, which should be based on dialogue … We must cease attempts to discredit those arguing for peace. Nationally minded patriotic politicians should not be threatened with political, legal or physical annihilation,” he said.
Regarding planned bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Chad, Oman and Congo, Szijjártó said Europe and the transatlantic community’s approach to the “global South … is that they should do whatever we tell them to”. Those countries were not “buying into” that approach, he said.
He said those countries faced constant difficulties due to war in Europe. “They don’t understand why Europeans are pushing their difficulties onto the shoulders of the entire world.”
So far, Europe had always called for diplomatic solutions and negotiations in armed conflict, Szijjártó said.
“Then, when the war is in Europe, those representing that stance are branded Putin’s puppets and Russian spies, even as Europe is itself adding fuel to the conflict,” he added.
The war posed difficulties for several southern countries that had nothing to do with it, “and who don’t understand why they should be paying the price of a war many thousands of kilometres away,” he said. Hungary was also in the dark as to “why we should be paying the price of the war in the neighbourhood when we have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Accordingly, Hungarian companies will receive orders and work on strengthening Chad’s food industry, developing its water supply and its education sector, as well as aiding digitalisation efforts, the minister noted on Facebook.
Illegal migration to the EU can only be stopped through cooperation with the Sahel region, he said, adding that Chad played a stabilising role “in this critical region of Africa”.
The European Union’s pro-migration policies pose a danger while Bishkek’s fight against terrorism means security for Europe, the foreign minister said in Bishkek on Thursday.
Szijjártó praised Kyrgyz efforts in the fight against terrorism, and said the global terror threat was “larger than ever” due to the opportunities illegal migration offered to potentials attackers.
He said the EU’s pro-migration policy was encouraging immigrants to start their journey towards the continent, and terrorists “take advantage of the flood of people”. Hungary “sees all countries that prioritise the fight against terrorism the way Kyrgyzstan does as an ally”, he said.
While holding the European Union’s rotating presidency, Hungary is also supporting the start of negotiations with Kyrgyzstan on easing visa requirements and on signing an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement.
Szijjártó said that EU officials’ criticism levelled at Kyrgyzstan alleging circumventing sanctions against Russia was “wholly unfounded”.
Hungary, Kyrgyzstan links between the East and West
“Hungary sees EU sanctions as harmful, dangerous and absolutely useless, harming member states more than Russia,” he said. “EU leaders are clearly not prepared to recognise that [sanctions] were a bad decision, and they prefer to accuse others, Kyrgyzstan among them.”
Hungary would always support Kyrgyzstan in working as a link between the East and West, Szijjártó said. Hungary believes every country has the sovereign right to root out external interference and influence targeting the will of the people, he added.
Meanwhile, he said Central Asia’s economic importance was growing, especially in transport and energy security.
He welcomed that trade between Hungary and Kyrgyzstan has doubled.
Hungarian companies are gaining ground in Kyrgyzstan in health industries, food and agriculture, and there is a joint development fund financing joint ventures in agriculture and vehicle manufacturing, the minister said. He said he hoped that the joint project planning to build water plants would also be successful.
Hungary is also offering 200 grants to Kyrgyz students wishing to study in Hungary, he said.
Hungary begins talks with EC on CJEU’s migration policy ruling
Hungary will not pay the fine imposed on it by the Court of Justice of the European Union, but has entered into talks in an attempt to resolve the situation, János Bóka, the European affairs minister, said after a meeting of the European Parliament’s constitutional committee (AFCO) in Strasbourg on Thursday. Speaking to Hungarian reporters in connection with a 200 million euro fine and a daily 1 million euro penalty Hungary has been ordered to pay by the CJEU for failing to comply with the EU’s asylum regulations, Bóka said Hungary has started talks on the matter with Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson.
The minister said he had made it clear at their talks that Hungary will not pay the fine.
“We agreed on the communication channels we’ll be using to discuss the implementation of the ruling going forward,” he said. “We’ve outlined a schedule according to which the talks will continue.”
Hungary, Bóka added, aimed to resolve the matter and have the daily 1 million euro penalty lifted.
Hungary’s position on the implementation of the ruling derived from the political will expressed in a referendum, National Consultation surveys and elections. “This is a very firm and clear mandate for us,” the minister said. “It is along this mandate that we have to continue the talks with the European Commission.”
Commenting on the AFCO meeting held on the sidelines of a plenary session of the European Parliament, Bóka said he had presented the priorities of the Hungarian EU presidency and briefed the committee’s members on the progress that was expected during the Hungarian presidency in the matters that fall under their respective areas of competence. Most of the questions he had received, however, had to do with the internal political situation in Hungary “and were open political attacks against Hungary and the Hungarian people”, he said.
Regarding comments made at the hearing by German Green MEP Daniel Freund about Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visits to Moscow and Beijing this past summer being a violation of EU rules, Bóka said the European public needed to be made aware that the MEP’s remarks “do not correspond to reality”.
Official: Hungary seeks exemption from EU asylum, migration rules
Hungary is seeking an exemption from the application of EU asylum and migration rules since, otherwise, “Brussels would also turn Hungary into a country of immigrants”, the parliamentary state secretary of the EU affairs ministry said on Thursday.
Pál Zsigmond Barna said in a post on Facebook that Hungary was prepared to do everything to make sure that it was spared “flawed and doomed EU migration legislation”. He noted that in a letter to Ylva Johansson, the EU home affairs commissioner, the Dutch government has asked for an exemption from EU asylum rules with the aim of introducing the strictest asylum policy in Europe.With a view to curbing illegal migration as quickly as possible, the Hungarian government is joining the Netherlands and will take the necessary legal and administrative steps, he said. Hungary, he added, was nevertheless committed to the Schengen system, and German border closures caused by poor immigration policy now imperilled free movement. The state secretary hailed Hungary’s model of protecting the external borders, assessing asylum applications beyond the border, dealing with human traffickers decisively, ensuring that deportations work, and sending aid to migration trouble spots.Hungary has met its Schengen obligations and has spent more than two billion euros on border protection, helping Europe as a whole, he said, noting that Hungary had not received “a penny from Brussels” for doing so. Also, Brussels was still “punishing Hungarians” by requiring Hungary to “set up a quota of thousands of migrants and migrant camps”, he said. Moreover, he called the EU court of justice’s ruling requiring Hungary to pay a fine of 200 million euros as well as one million euros each day “unjust and outrageous”.
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These days Brussels poses a danger, while Cairo provides protection for Europe when it comes to migration, Hungary’s foreign minister said in the Egyptian capital on Tuesday, underlining the importance of supporting Egypt in bolstering the protection of its borders.
“Both countries are located in the direct vicinity of ongoing armed conflicts, and we are both confronted with the challenges posed by mass illegal migration,” Szijjártó said. “We want to live in security, for which two things are necessary: an urgent end to the wars affecting our regions and that the migration waves affecting our regions can be stopped as soon as possible.”
Szijjártó pointed out that Egypt played a crucial role in both areas. “Egypt is a very important guarantor of European security, a bastion of Europe’s north African line of defence.”
He expressed Hungary’s “great appreciation” of Egypt’s role in stopping migration. “We greatly appreciate that there’s no migration pressure on Europe from Egypt’s direction. If Egypt … allowed migrants to pass through its territory, Europe would face a very difficult migration wave,” he added.
Brussels poses a danger, while Cairo provides protection for Europe
“It’s strange but today it appears that Brussels poses a danger, while Cairo provides protection for Europe when it comes to migration,” Szijjártó said. “Europe protects Europe from illegal migrants, while Brussels is aggravating the migrant crisis in Europe with its flawed policy.”
Szijjártó urged the European Union to transfer the financial support from the European Peace Facility earmarked for bolstering Egypt’s border protection in accordance with the agreement signed in June, noting that the north African country has a 5,000km border to protect.
Cairo. Photo: FB/Szijjártő
He said allies like Egypt were also important because Africa’s population is projected to grow by 750 million over the next 20 years. “And this will result in either a horrible humanitarian disaster or record-high migration pressure,” he said, adding that the EU should draft a comprehensive development strategy for Africa in order to avert this.
Szijjártó said Hungary and Egypt were both part of the “global pro-peace majority”, and the two countries were in agreement that though they had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, they were both forced to pay the price of the conflict in the form of soaring inflation.
“Weapons deliveries definitely won’t end the war,” Szijjártó said, adding that both Hungary and Egypt were calling for an urgent ceasefire and peace talks.
Szijjártó said preventing escalation and a spread of the conflict in the Middle East was also a shared interest of Hungary and Egypt. “We thank Egypt for its stabilising role in this respect and ask that they continue their efforts to ensure the release of the hostages because there is still a Hungarian citizen among Hamas’s captives,” he added.
Same technology nuclear power plant
Meanwhile, he announced that Hungary and Egypt have signed an agreement under which the two countries’ authorities will hold regular consultations on nuclear developments, noting that Egypt is building a nuclear power plant with the same technology that Hungary is.
He said that since Egypt was farther ahead in the construction of its nuclear plant, Hungary expects that the experience gained by Egypt can help accelerate the upgrade of its own Paks plant. He also said Hungary expected that Egypt would take into consideration certain internationally recognised Hungarian technologies in the construction of its nuclear plant.
Szijjártó also welcomed that Hungary’s 4iG is preparing the construction of a submarine telecommunication cable between Albania and Egypt as well as a fiber network that will reach 6 million households.
Also, the delivery of Hungarian-made railway carriages from Egypt’s rolling stock order is ongoing, with only 374 of the 1,350 carriages ordered left to be delivered, Szijjártó said. He also noted that Hungary last year exported some 19,000 to Egypt.
The minister said the executives of 23 companies will hold 266 meetings with 104 Egyptian partners on Tuesday.
Hungarian foreign minister addresses business forum in Cairo
Szijjártó made a case for extending the political strategic cooperation between Hungary and Egypt to the area of economy at a business forum in Cairo on Tuesday.
Szijjártó affirmed Hungary was an advocate for connectivity and said both Hungarian and Egyptian companies could benefit from closer cooperation. He added that bilateral trade between the countries had reached EUR 240m last year, and there was “plenty of room” for growth.
He said 23 Hungarian executives, from companies in the IT, automotive, pharmaceutical, farm and food, water management, printing and wood industries, were holding meetings with 104 potential Egyptian partners at the forum.
More scholarships for Egyptian students
He said a Hungarian supplier in Dunakeszi, on the outskirts of the capital, was 374 units shy of filling an order for 1,350 carriages for Egypt’s railway company, and that Hungarian ICT company 4iG was preparing to lay a data cable between Albania and Egypt, while a big irrigation project was in the works. He added that Hungary had exported around 19,000 head of cattle to Egypt last year.
He noted that Hungary offered 200 scholarships to Egyptian students to enroll at Hungarian universities each year. He added that there were four direct flights connecting Budapest with cities in Egypt.
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