“Europe has proven to be defenceless in several respects, and accordingly the most important task is that Europe must be protected”, Péter Szijjártó said during a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels.

“The level of terrorist threat in Europe has never before been so high”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, according to whom “the underlying causes must be managed and they must be faced up to sincerely, just as we must also face up to the fact that radicalisation has not been successfully kept outside the borders of Europe”.

“The global fight against terrorism must be strengthened”, he added, stressing that Hungary is one of the 23 countries that is actually taking part in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist organisation with soldiers. Mr. Szijjártó also said that the 126-person contingent of Hungarian soldiers serving in Kurdistan would be increased by a further 150, and their duties would be expanded to include training tasks.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister emphasised that it is in the interests of both Hungary and Europe for the Turkish Government to be in full control of the situation in Turkey. It would be a huge security risk if the constitutional order and procedures in Turkey, which has the second largest military strength in NATO and which is the European Union’s main migration policy partner, were to fall under the control of a non-democratically elected power, the Minister highlighted.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, the European Union doesn’t need to provide detailed guidelines with regard to the mode of accountability. “Hungary’s standpoint is that three days after the coup attempt aimed at toppling the constitutional system the most important thing for the country is solidarity. All attempts at providing foreign assistance only serve to slow the settlement process”, he added.

Providing details of the meeting of Foreign Ministers, Mr. Szijjártó said that the EU wishes to cooperate with countries that are currently the source and transit countries of migration.

The Ministers who attended the meeting agreed that “only those countries that take the necessary steps to ensure that they are neither source nor transit countries of the migration that is affecting Europe should receive development funding from European taxpayers’ money”, he told the press, but stressed that this will only be of any use if it is preceded by the reacquisition of Europe’s ability to protect its external borders.

At the meeting, Hungary called for the European Union to tighten relations with Iraqi Kurdistan, in addition to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, he added.

On the subject of the relationship between the European Union and China, Mr. Szijjártó told reporters that the EU wishes to develop infrastructural connections between the European Union and China.

According to the Council of Ministers, the EU must also strive for an agreement on experimental projects such as the renovation of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, he said.

The Council document, which acknowledges details that are the basis of Hungary’s policy of opening towards the east and its China-related policies, represents a milestone with relation to Hungary’s foreign policy strategy for China, Mr. Szijjártó highlighted.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)