Intensifying migratory waves towards Europe pose a great threat to the continent and reflect that terrorism and illegal migration form a “vicious circle”, the Hungarian foreign minister said in New York on Wednesday. The foreign ministry cited Péter Szijjártó as stating that despite all efforts, the threat terrorism poses globally is currently more serious than ever before, with various terrorist attacks claiming 6,700 lives last year. He noted that the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) received only 3% of its budget from the global organisation with the rest to be provided by the member states. Hungary has made a great contribution by Budapest hosting the second largest UNOCT centre, Szijjártó said. Some 25 international experts work at the centre and its role is planned to be further strengthened, he added. “Hungary’s role in the global fight against terrorism will further increase in the upcoming period which will contribute to increasing security in Hungary,” he said.
Szijjártó said that he would meet eight of his counterparts on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, including the foreign ministers of Bahrein, Chad, Moldova and the Vatican. The talks will focus on challenges posed by the war, he added. Hungary’s pro-peace position is met with great respect all over the world, Szijjártó said. Commenting on business negotiations held on Wednesday, he said that US companies were the second largest group of investors in Hungary, with 1,700 companies employing 105,000 people. “They have very positive feedback on the economic environment and do not allow being misled by various political attacks,” he added.
“Instead of getting information from the US or German press, they make decisions based on their everyday experiences and they clearly see that the investment environment in Hungary with the lowest taxes in Europe, highly-skilled workforce and excellent infrastructure represents the best investment opportunity in Europe,” he said. Commenting on a meeting on Sudan, he expressed regret over disruptions in food supplies and added that grain exports from Ukraine should be started as soon as possible. He said that last year, the Hungarian government had donated 3.5 million euros from taxpayers’ money to help the delivery of 10,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain to Sudan but “not even a single gram reached its destination”. “Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the approval of the Ukrainian authorities,” Szijjártó added.