Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the world should use the United Nations General Assembly as a platform to promote peace in Ukraine. Speaking in New York on Monday, the foreign minister said this is the position that the Hungarian government will represent throughout the week, including Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council session.
The foreign minister said the focus should be on achieving peace rather than on deepening and escalating the conflict. Minister Szijjártó said the war in Ukraine meant that this year’s UN General Assembly was being held under “extraordinary circumstances”. The impact of the conflict is felt worldwide, for instance, in the form of the uncertainties around energy supply and rampant inflation, he said. Hungary’s interest lies in the quickest possible end to the conflict, Szijjártó said, adding that peace was the solution to all the problems and challenges faced by Hungary, Europe and the world. This requires an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, for which there is no more appropriate forum than the UN, the minister said. “Everyone is present in the UN,” he said. “Every difficult issue can be discussed here, as even the leaders of countries with hostile relations are present at the same time.” He said the world should take advantage of the opportunity presented by the General Assembly session, arguing that the war could only end through negotiations.
“Once one leaves the European bubble” it will immediately become clear that “the position promoted by Brussels on the (Ukraine) war is not at all shared by most countries in the world”, the minister said. Minister Szijjártó added that the whole world was suffering from the ramifications of the war, such as soaring energy and food prices that were causing serious problems in Africa and South America. “My colleagues from Ghana and Cuba talked about all those today, here in New York,” he said.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter