The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), comprising 43 European, Middle-Eastern and North-African countries, held its high-level level meeting and second Regional Forum on 23-24 January in Barcelona. Hungary was represented by Deputy State Secretary Szilveszter Bus at the event.

The participants took stock of what the UfM has been able to achieve since the first meeting of its Foreign Ministers in November 2015 and also reflected upon its possible role in today’s considerably changed international landscape. In her opening remarks, Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, underlined the need for concrete results in what is probably the world’s most volatile region at the moment.

Szilveszter Bus in his remarks emphasised that from a security policy and migration point of view, the stability of the North African region is also of crucial importance for Europe. We are unfortunately not any closer to resolving the conflicts affecting the wider region since the last UfM ministerial meeting. The Deputy State Secretary hopes that the noticeably changing dynamics of the international environment and its ongoing paradigm shifts will contribute to making progress in this regard. He underscored Hungary’s political, military and humanitarian contributions aimed at addressing the crises affecting the region and also emphasised the country’s deep commitment to the protection of the Christian communities in the region.

On the national day of mourning, Szilveszter Bus thanked the countries whose governments and communities have expressed their condolences on the tragedy that affected Hungarian citizens in Italy.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)