Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary is providing 1.4 billion forints (EUR 3.7m) this year for schemes in 25 countries to help local communities stay in their homelands through the Hungary Helps Program.
Minister Szijjártó said in a video message posted on Facebook on Sunday that while the war in Ukraine may be front-page news, a number of other serious challenges facing the world today, such as epidemics, migration, terrorism and the spread of extreme ideologies. In a number of places in the world, people have to go about their everyday lives amid serious daily crises, he added. Because the “let’s bring everybody to Europe” strategy has proved unsuccessful in recent years, assistance should instead be given to people where they live, so they can remain in their home countries, he said. Hungary has helped communities stay in their homelands by developing schools, hospitals and infrastructure in 50 countries around the world so far, he added.