Speaking in Parliament, MoD Parliamentary State Secretary Tamás Vargha said that the draft resolution submitted to the National Assembly requiring two-third majority vote would authorize the Hungarian Defence Forces to continue their activities with more troops – at most 200 personnel (400 in rotation periods) – in Iraq until 31 December 2019.

He said that the government of Hungary is determined to use all available means in the alliance system to prevent risk situations.

He reminded his audience that since its establishment in 2013, the Islamic State has taken control of vast territories in the eastern part of Syria and the north-western part of Iraq. In these areas, the Islamic State carried out systematic human rights violations, genocide and other crimes against humanity against members of other religious communities – he added, noting that the terrorist organization has perpetrated acts of terror in other countries as well.

Tamás Vargha noted that the recently formed, US-led, broad international coalition  goes beyond NATO’s alliance system. As a result of its activities, the Islamic State has by now lost 62 per cent of the territories it gained until 2014. He said that the Hungarian Defence Forces have contributed 150 personnel to the coalition, with a mandate expiring in 2017.

There is still work to be done, he went on, adding that NATO and the new US government wish to pay increasing attention to combating international terrorism and the management of the migration crisis.

The State Secretary emphasized that the root cause of migration must be eliminated at the places from which the migrants set off. He went on saying that everybody is interested in the stabilization of the situation in Iraq and Syria.

(MTI)