“A totally new world order is in development, and this is bringing with it new security risks, against which Europe and indeed the whole world must take action”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared in Monday in New York with relation to the fact that a separate meeting will be held on this issue during the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, which is being held this week.

“At the world peace summit named after anti-Apartheid fighter and former South African President Nelson Mandela, we must identify the factors that represent the greatest danger to world peace and security”, the Minister said at the press conference.

He explained that there are three such factors relating to Europe: one is illegal migration, with relation to which a particular risk is posed by the fact that “Europe is still incapable of speaking honestly and clearly, and of making it clear that Europe can only be entered legally”.

The other is action against minorities, from which Hungary is also suffering in view of the fact that Hungarians in Transcarpathia are being systematically intimidated and the Ukrainian state wants to take away the rights of the Hungarian minority. “The approach according to which national minorities are not viewed as a resource, but as a potential source of conflict, exists all over the world”, Mr, Szijjártó added.

The Minister cited religious persecution as the third security risk, and said it is particularly sad that Christianity has become the world’s most persecuted religion.

As he explained, Europe must also “keep its wits about it with relation to these areas”, and this is one of the reasons why it is important that the foreign ministers of the EU member states are meeting separately in New York to discuss the situation in Syria and in Libya.

Europe “must finally make sure that Libya is not a halfway house”, Mr. Szijjártó said. “Because illegal immigrants currently manage to cross Libya without any restriction, and can board ships and reach Europe’s southern shores unimpeded”, he explained.

The Minister also highlighted the importance of the fact that EU operations on the Mediterranean must not be aimed at bringing illegal immigrants to Europe, but at finally closing Europe’s maritime border and making it clear that illegal immigration via the Mediterranean Sea is impossible. “This is similarly impossible over land, as Hungary has already proven”, he pointed out.

Mr. Szijjártó also told reporters that the EU General Assembly will be dealing with the world’s most serious crisis situations throughout the week, and accordingly in addition to the aforementioned Syria and Libya will also be discussing the African situation, crimes against humanity and the persecution of Christians and people of other religions. “There are plenty of security challenges in the world, and Europe is no exception”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade underlined.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)