Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in New York that an agreement is needed concerning the coordinated action of the US and Russia in Syria in order to achieve breakthrough success in the fight against the Islamic State.

The Minister stressed that the efforts of those, who have already taken action against the terrorist organisation need to be increased.  He was of the opinion that the willingness for increased actions has already been expressed, but there have not been any signs of implementation yet.

According to the Minister, Russia's air strikes against the IS in Syria - with the approval of Bashar al-Assad's government - have been a subject of serious debates in the United Nations, furthermore the US has condemned the action. He said that this is especially aggravating because instead of coordinated talks about the details of a joint action and about cooperation, the focus of the debate was on who is bombing what exactly.

Mr. Szijjártó expressed his hope according to which large powers will demonstrate "pragmatic thinking" and make decisions in line with global interests.

In response to a question whether the training provided by the Hungarian defence force to the Kurdish fighters in Iraq might result in an increased threat by the IS, Mr. Szijjártó said that national security risks had been properly analysed and all possibilities had been assessed before the parliament's approval of the training.

Regarding recent events at the Röszke border crossing point, the Minister said that he had explained the details and the background of the case to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his two deputies, and they have "acknowledged" his explanation.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)