“The countries that make up the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, which was established as a forum for enabling closer relations between peoples and cultures, must increase their joint efforts in the interests of facilitating effective action against the new security challenges, including the wave of migration and religious extremism”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared on Friday evening in New York at the ministerial-level meeting of the Alliance’s member states.
As he explained, the organisation must be made stronger and its efforts must be increased, because there are more and more conflicts around the world and regions that have so far not had to worry about it are now having to face a threat of terrorism. “Unfortunately, the situation in Europe has moved in this direction in recent years”, he added.
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) was established in 2005 as a forum for enabling closer relations between peoples and cultures; its founding was initiated by Spanish head of government José Luis Zapatero following 9/11 and the 2004 Madrid terrorist attack. The Alliance currently has almost 150 members. Its goal is for the countries of the world’s various regions to initiate informal dialogue with one other, and by doing so to facilitate better relations between civilizations, cultures, and religious and other communities.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister, who is in New York attending the high-level meeting of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, said that there are currently tens of millions of people in transit, and this is capable of undermining stability not only in the source countries of immigrants, but also in the transit states that they cross and in target countries.
Mr. Szijjártó said it is unacceptable that certain international organisations are attempting to portray migration as something positive, because their approach is biased and unbalanced in view of the fact that the dangers and threats that go hand in hand with migration must also be recognised. “Migration must not be encouraged, because this can lead to the development of parallel societies in further regions. Instead, people who are suffering must be assisted and help must be provided to people who have been forced to leave their homes to enable them to return at the earliest opportunity”, he explained.
“In the interests of this, countries must work together to put an end to the business model of people smugglers who exploit people who are poor and in a state of need”, he declared.
The Minister also spoke about the fact that persecuted Christian communities around the world must be given assistance. As he explained, we must definitely reject the approach, which in his opinion is also being suggested by certain international organisations, according to which anti-Christian sentiment is the last acceptable form of discrimination.
Mr. Szijjártó cited a survey by the Open Doors Foundation, according to which Christians communities are the most persecuted in the world. 215 million Christians worldwide are having to suffer atrocities. Every month an average of 66 Christian Churches are attacked around the world, over a hundred Christians are apprehended, 160 are imprisoned for religious reasons and 255 are murdered.
“We are counting on the Alliance of Civilizations to facilitate the peaceful cohabitation of religious communities in territories where they have done just that for hundreds of years”, the Minister said in closing.
(MTI)
