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Regional program support office of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism to be based in Budapest

Minister Szijjártó said the new office will be tasked with coordinating the fight against terrorism in the region. He noted that Hungary already hosts the regional headquarters of several specialized UN organizations.

The foreign minister has revealed how the regional program support office of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism will be based in Budapest.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, announced the news during a two-day conference entitled “Prevention of radicalization to terrorism through holistic policy responses and risk mitigation”.

Minister Szijjártó said the new office will be tasked with coordinating the fight against terrorism in the region. He noted that Hungary already hosts the regional headquarters of several specialized UN organizations.

The minister said Hungary was “an active and successful” participant in the international community’s fight against terrorism. The UN has recognized this by co-organizing the regional conference in Budapest in advance of a global anti-terrorism conference in New York next year.

During his speech at the conference, Minister Szijjártó said Hungary not only talks about the importance of fighting terrorism but acts accordingly. He said the country has 200 troops serving as part of the global coalition fighting against the Islamic State in Iraq. Hungarian units also serve in missions in Mali, the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, and will soon be deployed to Lebanon to help restore and maintain security, he said.

Minister Szijjártó added that mass waves of illegal immigration had plainly created an opportunity for terrorist organizations to “send in and out” their fighters around the world, and stopping such migration waves was an important tool in fighting terrorism.

According to MTI, the minister said attacks are becoming “harsher and even more ruthless”, adding that the fight against radicalization “must continue”. Last year, more than 15,000 innocent civilians lost their lives in more than 9,500 terrorist attacks around the world.

Minister Szijjártó also revealed that Hungary has spent USD 40 million on aid to persecuted Christians in the Middle East. Hungary has also participated in rebuilding hospitals and schools so that the dispossessed can return to their homes, he added.

Photo credit: hirado.hu