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SZIJJÁRTÓ: HUNGARY TO INCREASE TROOPS SERVING ON EU MALI MISSION

 

Hungary will increase the number of its troops serving under the EU’s training mission in Mali to 21, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a ministerial meeting focusing on the security situation in Mali and the Sahel region, in New York. Participants agreed that the situation in the region was still “fragile”. The Sahel is exposed to terrorism and it is a “victim” of armed militia exploiting economic and social instability, Szijjártó said.

He said they agreed that the international community must play an active role in that region. Since the Sahel region is “one of the main roots” of migration to Europe, the EU must play a leading role in preventing a further exodus of migrants from there, Szijjártó said. He noted that the EU has already set up a 4.5 billion euro Emergency Trust Fund for supporting Africa which has 1.7 billion euros available for the Sahel. Hungary has contributed 9.5 million euros to the fund to support programmes aimed at tightening security, creating jobs and eliminating human smuggling, Szijjártó said.