Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said mankind today is facing a serious threat of a third world war.
Speaking in New York on Wednesday, Minister Szijjártó added that the United Nations had to do everything it could to prevent such a conflict, for which it was crucial to make progress in ending the war in Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of a UN High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development, Minister Szijjártó 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," Minister Szijjártó 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.
Minister Szijjártó 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," Minister Szijjártó 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," Minister Szijjártó said.