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FM: Implementing ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza is important for Hungary

Minister Szijjártó told a press conference that events in the Middle East had a serious impact on global security.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said implementing the ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, an important factor in improving worldwide security, is important for Hungary.

Speaking in Budapest on Thursday, after talks with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, Minister Szijjártó told a joint press conference that events in the Middle East had a serious impact on global security, and welcomed the agreement on a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Hungary has a vested interest in the full implementation of the agreement, all the more so because the last Hungarian hostage in Hamas captivity could be freed in the second phase, should Phase 1 be successful, he said.

Minister Szijjártó said that the hostage, a man under the age of 50, was not part of the groups that had been subjects of the negotiations so far, "but we hope that this agreement ... will lay the groundwork for him to return to his family, after many months of captivity..."

"Hungary and Europe's security, our commitment to peace and our Christian approach gives us a vested interest in the full implementation of the ceasefire and in a sustainable peace in the Middle East, which would also restore the right of the people in Israel among other places to a calm, safe and dignified life."

Noting the Abraham Accords signed during US President Donald Trump's first term, Minister Szijjártó said he hoped that Trump's second tenure would also contribute to peace in the region.

Meanwhile, Minister Szijjártó said that Hungary, a state with a 1,000-year Christian history, was committed to supporting Christians worldwide. "We hope that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be lasting. My colleague and I agreed that there must be a special emphasis on ensuring that no religious communities are persecuted in Syria," he added.

Minister Szijjártó lamented what he called "an extremely hostile, unbalanced and biased approach to Israel in forums of the UN and the European Union, which Hungary has always stood up against using its own weight and means". "In the UN, we voted against the further harassment of Israel in the International Criminal Court, which lost its credibility and seriousness when it issued an arrest warrant against the prime minister of Israel," he added.

That step had been part of "a kind of modern anti-Semitism, which is partly a result of illegal mass migration," Minister Szijjártó said.

Minister Szijjártó also said that Hungary saw its cooperation with Israel as strategically important, with no unresolved issues between the two countries. "What's more, there are direct flights [between the countries] again."

Sa'ar praised Hungary as "one of the countries which clearly see the difference between good and evil, right and wrong."

"Hungary, under the leadership of Viktor Orbán, is a close good friend and an important ally of Israel. I greatly appreciate the Hungarian government's support in the international arena, especially in the European Union and the UN," he said.

In view of the challenges facing Europe and the Middle East, Israel and Hungary "must have an important role", Sa'ar said. "This is the alliance of two proud, free, sovereign states," he added.