As it's high time we turned up the volume of the global pro-peace majority, Hungary will continue to emphasize the importance of a diplomatic settlement despite all the attacks and pressure, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in New York, on Tuesday. According to a statement issued by the Hungarian foreign ministry, Mr Szijjarto said that the previous day's meeting of the UN Security Council had once again made it clear that there were two completely different approaches to the war in Ukraine on the international arena.
The proponents of the pro-war position are not shying away from making statements threatening to escalate the conflict, while the overwhelming majority of the world wants the fighting to end, as the price of the conflict is being paid by everyone, including Hungary, even though Hungarians bear no responsibility in this matter, he pointed out.
That said, the representatives of the transatlantic world delivered speeches and repeated statements yesterday, which clearly foreshadow the continuation of the war, and which clearly entail the risk of escalation.
Mr Szijjarto said. – I think the task remains clear. We have to turn up the volume in the pro-peace camp and make it clear that the vast majority of the world wants peace now,” he said.
No matter how many are attacking us, no matter how much pressure they are putting on us, no matter how much criticism we face, we Hungarians will continue to stand for peace.
− he added.
His favorite pastime is to criticize Hungary
FM Szijjarto sharply rejected accusations from his Luxembourg counterpart that Hungary is not showing enough solidarity, adding that, apparently, FM Jean Asselborn’s favorite pastime is to criticize Hungarians. We, Hungarians, have taken in more than one million refugees from Ukraine. „I'm not exactly sure of the Luxembourg figure, but it's probably nowhere near that,” he stressed.
We represent a nation whose members are dying in the war in ever growing numbers. I assume, and I also hope, that not a single Luxembourger has died in the war in Ukraine, nor will they ever die, this is what I wish for them,
− he added.
Significance of Central Europe grows
Commenting on the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, FM Szijjarto underlined that the agreement was vital as it was able to slightly mitigated the negative effects of the conflict in many parts of the world that can easily become destabilized. As a result, the importance of Central Europe in Ukrainian grain transit will continue to grow, and Hungary has made significant infrastructure improvements to facilitate this.
The foreign minister also stressed, however, that the deal is about allowing the grain to transit towards Africa and the Middle East to avoid a food crisis in these regions, which could lead to new waves of migration, and thus, an increased terrorist threat.
At the same time, Ukrainian grain must be prevented from causing market disruption in Central Europe, as producers in the neighboring country do not have to comply with EU standards, he said. We will keep the transit routes in Central Europe open, but we will not accept that they do business in Hungary on the grounds of human rights and humanitarian considerations, he stressed.
FM Szijjarto also pointed out that, in his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he will underline that for over 500 days the debate in international organizations has exclusively focused on the Ukraine war, and that it was high time to start discussions about peace. - For there to be peace, there obviously needs to be a ceasefire, there needs to be negotiations, and then there needs to be a peace agreement. In this context, Mr Szijjarto welcomed all efforts towards a diplomatic settlement and said that the UN should finally provide a platform for a discussion on peace.
We have a lot of allies on this issue, because the global majority wants peace (...) We are part of the global majority, we all want peace, and it is time to turn up the volume of this peace camp in New York.
− he said.
Finally, detailing his negotiations with business leaders, Mr Szijjarto underlined that there is enormous pressure on US and German companies, often under blackmail, not to bring their investments to Hungary, because the liberal leadership in Berlin and Washington does not agree with the general direction set by the Hungarian people. „It is clear that investors are not bothered in the least, as both German and US investments are constantly increasing (…) I hope that I can agree on one or two new American corporate investments in Hungary today,” Hungary's foreign minister added.
Cover photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó speaks at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the situation in Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York on 17 July 2023, during the Russian war against Ukraine (Photo: MTI/AP/Mary Altaffer)
