Hopefully, the expected US-Russian agreement will not only bring peace back to Europe, but the parties will conclude a comprehensive agreement that could serve as a pillar of future global security, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Geneva on Tuesday.
Speaking at a meeting of the UN Conference on Disarmament, the Minister said that humanity is now living in an era of danger, the number and intensity of armed conflicts are increasing and there is a complete lack of mutual respect in international relations, which has brought the world to the threshold of a new Cold War.
He then pointed out that Hungary has been living in the immediate neighborhood and shadow of the war in Ukraine for years, and referring to the massive destruction, he said that the previous leadership of the European Union and the United States had chosen the wrong way to deal with the crisis, as neither arms transfers nor sanctions had brought peace any closer. Péter Szijjártó recalled that since the beginning of the war, there have been several open references to the use of nuclear weapons and some countries have talked about sending troops, which has greatly increased the risks of escalation and brought closer the risk of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, i.e. the risk of a third world war.
“A U.S.-Russia agreement could become the foundation of future global security,” said FM Péter Szijjártó at the @UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva. He expressed hope that the upcoming deal would not only bring peace back to Europe but also lead to a broader settlement… pic.twitter.com/qq8s9jHAUw
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) February 25, 2025
The Foreign Minister emphasized that it is now clear that the only solution is a US-Russian agreement. He called the talks in Riyadh last week very encouraging. “For us in Central Europe, it is absolutely clear that a good US-Russian relationship can be the basis for global peace. We therefore hope that the forthcoming US-Russian agreement will not be limited to how to bring peace back to the heart of Europe, but will be a more comprehensive agreement that can serve as a pillar of future global security,” he said.
The Minister concluded by pointing out that the total lack of mutual trust in recent years has led to an increase in the number of weapons of mass destruction in the world and to a weakening of arms control. “The US-Russian relationship, which is being rebuilt, could bring changes in this respect.
If mutual trust returns to international politics, successes could return to disarmament and non-proliferation. And it is high time for that,”
he underlined.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and argued for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the treaty banning the production of fissile material for military purposes.
Also in Geneva, later, at the UN Human Rights Council, Péter Szijjártó talked about illegal migration and Christian persecution, among other things. In his speech, he pointed out that Hungary lies along the busiest land migration route to the European Union, and that over the past ten years, masses of illegal immigrants have appeared at the southern border, many of whom have behaved violently and attacked police officers and border guards. He therefore called it essential to clarify what is a human right and what is not.
We need to redouble our efforts to tackle the root causes of illegal migration and ensure that everyone on earth has the right to live safely in their home country,”
he said.
He went on to explain that in the case of Hungary, as a consequence of its history, the borders of state and nation no longer coincide, making Hungarians very sensitive to the protection of the rights of national minorities, which should never be seen as a bilateral issue.
Regarding Christian persecution, Mr Szijjártó highlighted that Hungary, as a country with more than a thousand years of Christian statehood, feels a special responsibility for Christian communities around the world, and especially for those who are threatened by persecution and danger. “Christianity is the most persecuted religion on earth today. 380 million of our brothers and sisters are under persecution. Last year alone, 4,500 Christians were killed for their faith. On average, thirteen Christians are killed every day. And seven thousand Christian institutions, churches and more are under attack,” he said.
“We find this totally unacceptable, just as it is unacceptable that we are not talking about it. This is why the Hungarian government has launched the Hungary Helps program, under which we have donated tens of millions of dollars to support Christian communities around the world, from Syria to Lebanon,” he added.
Finally, the Minister touched on an important issue that he said everyone has been trying to avoid, pointing out that the United States and Israel recently withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council, a decision worth examining for the reasons behind it. He pointed out that
the work of the body in recent years has often seen the replacement of judgement, lecturing and stigmatization by mutual respect, that should return if the organization is not to become irrelevant in the future.
“We must reduce the influence of NGOs that try to influence our decisions on the basis of their biased and unbalanced opinions. And we must make it clear that it is governments that represent their countries and their societies, because they are elected by the people. NGOs may represent certain interest groups, but they certainly do not represent societies,” he underlined.
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Via MTI, Featured photo via Facebook/Péter Szijjártó
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