European and Arabic countries are reliant on one another in the field of counter-terrorism and creating security. This is obvious based on the fact that, in light of yesterday’s incidents, the threat of terrorism in Europe is graver than ever before, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated on Tuesday upon talking to the Hungarian news agency MTI after the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Arab League and the European Union.
"The Hungarian Government condemns yesterday’s terrorist acts in the clearest terms, which should be construed as attacks against Europe and the European people. These acts of terrorism amply demonstrate that creating and maintaining the people’s security must be the most important priority in the European Union’s policy”, Mr Szijjártó said.
On Monday evening, there was a mass attack involving a lorry driving into the crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin. Twelve people died, 48 (according to other sources 49) were injured, several of whom are in a critical condition. The German Interior Minister believes: there is no doubt that a terrorist attack took place. Also on Monday evening, a man opened fire in an Islamic centre also functioning as a mosque in Zurich, seriously wounding three men. The perpetrator was later found dead. The Russian Ambassador to Turkey was killed on Monday evening in Ankara. A 22-year-old off-duty police officer shot the Russian diplomat at a photo exhibition. The perpetrator was shot dead.
Mr Szijjártó took the view in his statement that the acts of terrorism against European people will continue until the EU finds the means to stop illegal migration which will always give terrorist organisations the opportunity to send their people to the continent. We may expect further challenges because as the international coalition serially defeats the jihadist organisation called Islamic State by driving out a great many foreign fighters from and around the city of Aleppo in Syria, Europe will be repeatedly exposed to the threat posed by returning foreign fighters, he added.
"It is therefore important to enter into much closer secret service cooperation between the EU and Arabic countries so that these services may immediately share with one another any intelligence relating to fighters intending to return to Europe, and may prevent the free movement of those coming to Europe for the purpose of committing terrorist attacks”, the Minister said.
The focus of EU-Arabic cooperation must now be shifted onto security and the fight against terrorism. Instead of continually teaching the Arabic countries a lesson, the Europeans must understand that Europe’ security begins with the stability of the Arabic countries.
"If we shake the stability of certain Arabic countries, the security pressure weighing upon Europe will be much heavier than it is now. We must clearly see that terrorist organisations are the common enemies of Europe and the Arabic countries, and therefore an alliance of historic significance must be forged between these countries”, he said.
(MTI)
