Hungary 'Doesn't Want Cold War', Says Foreign Minister

  • 24 Mar 2021 3:11 PM
  • Hungary Matters
Hungary 'Doesn't Want Cold War', Says Foreign Minister
Hungary, being a "committed and loyal" member of NATO, "would not want another cold war or animosity between East and West", Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Szijjártó told the Hungarian press that the peoples of central Europe were aware that “calm, peace, civilised cooperation and dialogue based on mutual respect are good”.

“Promoting our own interests and values, we must seek mutually beneficial cooperation rather than enemies,” he insisted, noting the global challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic. “We now have to protect the health and lives of people, which makes the importance of international cooperation greater than ever,” he said.

Szijjártó pointed to challenges concerning illegal migration and warned that migration trends offered opportunities for terrorist organisations to send activists to Europe.

Fighting terrorism and helping countries in North Africa and the Middle East develop their security capacities should be in NATO’s focus, he said.

Szijjártó said efforts against the Islamic State militant group should be continued in Iraq, adding that a new coalition government in Libya could help eliminate “terrorism closely linked to migration”.


MTI Photo: Tibor Illyés

  • How does this content make you feel?

XpatLoop Media Partner

Hungary Matters

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about what’s going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.

  • Budapest Peace Summit Will Definitely Take Place, Says Orbán

    Budapest Peace Summit Will Definitely Take Place, Says Orbán

    • 25 Oct 2025 7:29 AM

    The peace summit is still on the agenda, although its timing is doubtful, but there is no doubt that it will take place, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a radio interview on Friday morning, broadcast from the public media's Brussels studio.

  • Updated: Why Budapest for US + Russia Peace Summit?

    Updated: Why Budapest for US + Russia Peace Summit?

    • 23 Oct 2025 6:59 AM

    The United States has not cancelled the peace summit with Russia planned for Budapest, the timing alone is questionable, but preparations against fake news are still underway, said Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, following his meeting with his American counterpart in Washington on Wednesday 22 October.

  • Preparations for Budapest Peace Summit 'in Full Swing'

    Preparations for Budapest Peace Summit 'in Full Swing'

    • 23 Oct 2025 6:51 AM

    The United States has not cancelled the peace summit with Russia planned for Budapest, the timing alone is questionable, but preparations against fake news are still underway, said Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, following his meeting with his American counterpart in Washington on Wednesday 22 October.

  • Hungary to Send New Astronaut to ISS

    Hungary to Send New Astronaut to ISS

    • 22 Oct 2025 6:17 AM

    Hungary is planning to send another research astronaut, Gyula Cserényi, to the International Space Station, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, adding that Hungary had reaped great economic benefits from Tibor Kapu's mission earlier this year.