Speaking ahead of a UN High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development, Szijjarto said that when the UN adopted its sustainable development goals, there had not yet been a threat of a world war.

"It’s nice to evaluate who has done what over the past years in certain areas of economic development, in the development of education and health care or improving access to clean drinking water in the world … but as things stand, the UN’s job - even when it comes to its 80th anniversary - is to eliminate the threat of the outbreak of a third world war," Szijjarto said, according to a ministry statement.

"Because the wars and armed conflicts that have broken out in various parts of the world in recent years are very dangerous on their own, but together they pose a threat of a world war," the minister said.

Szijjarto said that if these security risks and crises were not dealt with, the world would find itself facing a serious threat of a third world war.

He said the UN had to prioritise its responsibilities, arguing that the organisation would not be able to carry out its development goals amid the threat of a world war.

"Let’s just think about all the growth and development opportunities the central European region has lost out on because of the war in Ukraine," Szijjarto said. "Let’s think about the price that we Hungarians -- who are in no way responsible for the war in Ukraine -- have had to pay for a war that we have nothing to do with."

The minister said his talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would focus on the organisation’s duty to prevent the outbreak of a third world war.
 

He said this required making progress in finding a resolution to the war in Ukraine, which called for a comprehensive agreement between the United States and Russia.

"If no such agreement is reached, if the war in Ukraine heads towards escalation on the battlefield, the global economy and the global political stage, it will lead to unforeseeable consequences, and the world will face a serious threat of a third world war," he said.

"This is what must be prevented, this is what we want, it’s why we argue in favour of peace and in favour of talks and a ceasefire," Szijjarto said.

FM Szijjarto also claims 'Trump is guarantee of peace in Middle East, Ukraine'

The Abraham Accords signed during US President Donald Trump’s first term should be expanded in order to guarantee long-term peace in the Middle East, Hungary’s foreign minister said in New York on Wednesday. "The name of peace in the Middle East, as in Ukraine, is that of Donald Trump," Peter Szijjarto said.

The Abraham Accords signed during Trump’s first term led to Israel normalising its relations with several Arab countries after several decades of unsuccessful peace efforts, Szijjarto said ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, according to a ministry statement.

"I believe the path to long-term peaceful life in the Middle East is through the renewal and expansion of the Abraham Accords," the minister said.

"This is also very important for us, because the security of the Middle East has a significant impact on the security of central Europe," Szijjarto said. "If there’s no security in the Middle East, then the migration waves heading towards Europe always intensify. Right now we’re seeing these migration waves making their way through the land route, so they’re a direct threat to Hungary."

Szijjarto said another reason why peace in the Middle East was important for Hungary was because as a Christian country Hungary felt responsible for persecuted Christian communities there.

Hungary’s government has so far spent around 30 billion forints (EUR 75.1m) supporting Christian communities in the Middle East, which has included contributions to the Catholic Church’s humanitarian and social programmes in the Gaza Strip, the minister said.

He also expressed Hungary’s support for a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Middle East, saying they would give those living in the region a chance at a more peaceful life and open the door for the release of the last Hungarian hostage.

"One Hungarian hostage is still being held by Hamas, which is why we demand the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages," Szijjarto said.

Meanwhile, Szijjarto said that in addition to the UN forums, he will also hold economic talks as well as meetings with Saudi Arabia’s economy minister and Serbia’s minister in charge of gender equality.

He said that because the European Union had so far been unable to sign a free trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council, it should hold talks with one Gulf country at a time in order to reach agreements with them as soon as possible.
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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