“During the current coronavirus pandemic, there is an extreme need for NATO to increase its counter-terrorism activities”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Thursday.

A meeting of foreign ministers of NATO member states began on Thursday within the framework of a videoconference. Prior to the meeting, Mr. Szijjártó explained: “Now, during the pandemic, the importance of NATO’s counter-terrorism operations and activities is much higher, because terrorism is one of the main root causes of waves of illegal migration”. “Accordingly, action to combat terrorism helps curb waves of illegal migration, which is particularly important now, because they not only represent a risk to security and culture, but also bear with them an extreme health risk in view of the fact that the rate of spread of the coronavirus pandemic could accelerate significantly along the routes used by migrants, as a result of illegal migration processes occurring in large numbers and in an uncontrolled fashion”, he continued. “Accordingly, it is now particularly important for NATO to increase its counter-terrorism activities”, he emphasised.

“According to the agreement concluded between the United States and Afghanistan, the numbers of NATO forces in Afghanistan will be decreasing, thanks to which we will also have freed-up capacities that we are prepared to regroup to take part in other NATO operations in the interests of maintaining Hungary’s contribution to the alliance’s counter-terrorist efforts”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister also stated. “For this reason, Hungary also supports the expansion of the capacities and activities of the NATO mission in Iraq, and is ready to participate in this process”, he highlighted. “NATO can also play a role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in view of the fact that the alliance has a Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine in Budapest, meaning Hungarian doctors and infectologists are playing a leading role in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic within the field of healthcare”, he stated.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade / MTI)