– It's a clear message that NATO is not a party to the war and is doing its utmost to prevent the situation from escalating. The most important thing for Hungary is to uphold the decision that NATO is not part of the war, and that the alliance will do everything it can to prevent the military conflict from escalating, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in Vilnius, the venue of the NATO summit.
There are two groups, the irresponsible thinkers who would be swift to set a date for Ukraine's accession even now, and those who think responsibly and have urged caution. In this group, for a long time, only Hungarians have expressed their views openly - although more and more countries are starting to come forward - claiming that any NATO country involved in a war could bring about an immediate war situation, potentially escalating to world war scenario,
– the minister explained.
Mr Szijjarto added that the current draft of the final declaration of the NATO summit starting on Tuesday does not include a date for Ukraine's NATO accession, and neither is there a concrete timetable.
He stressed that Ukraine's annual programs will be assessed by the foreign ministers of the member states, and NATO is not only a military alliance, but also a value-based alliance, so these aspects will also be taken into account in the accession process.
The protection and respect of the rights of national minorities and the continuous development of these rights are important values. This is also included in the annual national program as an expectation that we have of Ukraine. We will pay particular heed to this, and this will determine our opinion in any such assessment,
− Mr Szijjarto added.
The document also states that Ukraine may be invited, if it fulfills all the conditions, which must be accepted by all member states.
– As things stand now, it appears that we can avoid an irresponsible decision and instead pave the way for making responsible, reassuring decisions, he opined.
With regard to Sweden's NATO accession, the foreign minister underlined that the Hungarian government had submitted the ratification proposal to parliament many months ago, which shows that the cabinet supported ratification and that the timing of its adoption was only a technical question.
Cover photo: (Photo: MTI/Csaba Krizsan)
