“Regardless of the military successes achieved against the Islamic State, the terrorist organisation still represents a major global and regional threat, and for this reason Hungary is ready to continue the fight against the jihadist organisation”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared in Washington.

At a meeting of foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Mr. Szijjártó pointed out that Hungary is assisting the fight against the terrorist organisation on three important fronts.

He said the first of these fronts was the efforts realised on the ground, with relation to which he recalled that Hungary has sent 200 soldiers to Iraq, where they are assisting the forces fighting against ISIS with training and in an advisory and assisting role.

The second front is helping Christians to return home, he explained, pointing out that these communities have been forced to leave territories where they have lived for centuries.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, Hungary is concerned that if the members of these communities are unable to return home, or the security guarantees required to enable them to return are no present, then the “vacuum” created by their fleeing will be filled by the Islamic State, and as a result “we will truly find ourselves in a situation that we clearly must avoid”.

“Accordingly, Hungary is facilitating the return of Christian communities to their homes by constructing and rebuilding homes, schools, hospitals and churches”, he said.

As the third front in the fight against terrorism, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade mentioned preventing the foreign terrorists fighting for the Islamic State from returning to Europe following the defeat of ISIS, explaining that to the best of his knowledge there are some 5000 people fighting for jihadist organisations, who travelled there from a European country. “We must do everything in our power in the interests of protecting our borders so that they cannot return to our countries”, he declared.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)