“The stability of Iraq is one of the most important issues with regard to the security of Europe. Iraq is fighting a crucial battle against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, without whose eradication we cannot talk about peace in any corner of the world and there will be no solution to the immigration crisis either”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a press conference held jointly with his Iraqi counterpart on Tuesday in Budapest.

After signing an agreement on eliminating double taxation, Mr. Szijjártó and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari spoke about the fact that cooperation between the European Union and Iraq must be tightened in the interests of Europe’s peace and security.

Mr. Szijjártó warned that if stability is not achieved in Iraq and the Islamic State is not defeated with due haste then the European Union will have to face yet more dramatic challenges: a new wave of migration and an increased threat of terrorism. According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister, the Islamic State is a fundamental enemy of and threat to global security.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari called attention to the fact that the war raging in the region is not being fought between countries or religions, because the Islamic State is a threat to everyone and every religion, and in his view is attacking humanity itself.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, the whole world should stand up in support of Iraq so they can defeat the Islamic State to enable peace and security to be established in the region and the stabilization of liberated areas.

Hungary is calling for tightened cooperation between the European Union and Iraq and for an increase in humanitarian aid, he said, referring to the fact that there are currently 10 million people living on humanitarian aid in Iraq and the country is home to some 4.5 million known refugees. “If we do not succeed in defeating the Islamic State then these people will eventually set off for Europe and the Islamic State will exploit this new wave of migration to pose a major terrorist threat in Europe”, Mr Szijjártó said.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister told reporters that Hungary is an active participant in the fight against the Islamic State. “There are currently 146 Hungarian soldiers serving in the northern part of Iraq and Hungary will be sending more arms to Iraq in January, including 110 thousand rounds of ammunition, in addition to which 15 Iraqi army officers are currently receiving training in Hungary”, he said, adding that Hungary is also open to providing treatment to wounded Iraqi soldiers.

Mr. Szijjártó said that Hungary had so far paid 3 million euros into the European Union’s Madad Fund and has sent 190 million forints (EUR 615,000) in humanitarian aid to the region since the start of the conflict. He also mentioned that Hungary had provided one hundred scholarship places for Iraqi students to study at Hungarian universities and the related agreement, which expires this year, will be extended.

The Foreign Minister also said that he had informed his Iraqi counterpart of the fact that on the initiative of the Italians it has been decided that Hungary will also be participating in the long-term training of Iraqi police forces. He declared that as a Christian country Hungary has a special responsibility towards Christian communities who have suffered in war-ravaged regions and if necessary will also provide assistance to enable them to return to liberated areas as soon as possible.

On the subject of economic relations, Mr. Szijjártó told reporters that Hungarian exports to Iraq had increased by 34 percent last year and by 29 percent so far this year, and that several Hungarian food industry investment projects are in preparation thanks to the credit line supplied by Hungary’s export-import bank (Eximbank).

According to Mr. al-Jaafari “there is a world war going on”, which didn’t begin in Iraq and will not end there either; this war began at the beginning of the 21st century in New York and Washington, and continued in Europe, Southeast Asia and finally Iraq. Accordingly, the Iraqi Foreign Minister called for solidarity to defeat the mutual enemy, the Islamic State.

He also pointed out that during the course of history Iraq welcomed and was home to all kinds of religious and ethnic groups, and people succeeded in living together peacefully in this diverse society, and it is this peace that has been ruined by the Islamic State.

Mr. al-Jaafari also reported on the results of fighting in the vicinity of Mosul, according to which around a third of Mosul province has been successfully liberated. However, he also indicated that the liberation of the city itself is going more slowly than planned because they would like there to be as few civilian casualties as possible.

According to Mr. al-Jaafari, 1700 terrorists have been killed so far, 120 prisoners have been taken and 650 vehicles have been destroyed in which the terrorists hid explosive devices. 62 thousand refugees are currently being cared for in Mosul, but there is capacity for the admittance of more, he added.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister said they would like to reinforce Hungarian-Iraqi relations and expand trade flow between the two countries. He thanked the Hungarian Government for enabling Iraqi students to study in Hungary and for admitting wounded Iraqis.

In reply to a question, Mr. al-Jaafari said oil provides around 90 percent the Iraqi state revenues and so the fall in the price of oil had punched a huge hole in the budget, while they had also had to increase military spending to fight the Islamic State. He asked for international understanding with regard to the fact that they had had to increase production as a result of the situation.

With regard to migration during wartime, he said it was natural that people wanted to go to safe countries at such times. However, he also said that the problems should be handled and not the symptoms and accordingly reconstruction will be necessary to enable refugees to return home.

(MTI/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)