Hungary FM: terrorism and illegal migration form vicious circle

Intensifying migratory waves towards Europe pose a great threat to the continent and reflect that terrorism and illegal migration form a “vicious circle”, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in New York on Wednesday.

Szijjártó Péter New Yorkban Fotó: KKM

"Now that war is in Europe, it seems to these countries, and unfortunately not without reason, that Europeans are fueling tensions and causing the war to be protracted rather than ending it," he said.

"This is why Hungary's pro-peace stance is highly appreciated worldwide," he pointed out.

Commenting on business negotiations held on Wednesday, he said that US companies were the second largest group of investors in Hungary, with 1,700 companies employing 105,000 people. They have very positive feedback on the economic environment and do not allow being misled by various political attacks, he added.

"Instead of getting information from the US or German press, they make decisions based on their everyday experiences and they clearly see that the investment environment in Hungary with the lowest taxes in Europe, highly-skilled workforce and excellent infrastructure represents the best investment opportunity in Europe," he pointed out.

"So I hope that today we will be able to conclude a good number of agreements that will lead to the creation of new jobs in Hungary," he concluded.

 Commenting on a meeting on Sudan, Peter Szijjarto expressed regret over disruptions in food supplies and added that grain exports from Ukraine should be started as soon as possible. 

He recalled that last year, the Hungarian government had donated 3.5 million euros from taxpayers’ money to help the delivery of 10,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain to Sudan but not even a single gram reached its destination. "Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the approval of the Ukrainian authorities," he added.

"We will also take a clear position at today's meeting. Grain from Ukraine must be transported, with European help of course, to countries where it is needed, where people need everything. So instead of profiteering in Central Europe, the focus must be on supplying countries in Africa that are in need," he stressed.

Finally, Hungary's foreign minister touched on the high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, strongly criticizing that even during the coronavirus pandemic, the world was unable to cooperate in a united manner, without seeing the challenges as ideological and political issues. 

Recalling the attacks against Hungary over the procurement of vaccines from Eastern manufacturers, he stressed that health protection must focus on protecting people, and has nothing to do with geopolitics. "If the world fails to act accordingly, we could be facing very big problems," he said.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in New York (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)