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SZIJJÁRTÓ: AID TO POOR COUNTRIES WAY TO PEACE

The best way to ensure peace and security is to provide economic assistance to the least developed countries, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at the United Nations General Assembly session currently under way in New York.
 

According to a statement from the foreign ministry, Szijjártó said better living conditions in those countries helped reduce the risk of armed conflicts and further migratory waves. The Hungarian government has launched a country-specific development programme to assist those countries in job creation, as well as improving education and living conditions in general. The Doha Programme of Action opens a new chapter in cooperation based on solidarity, fairness and mutual respect, Szijjártó said. Development programmes should be based on mutual respect without donor countries interfering with the internal affairs of recipients, he insisted. Since 2010, the Hungarian government has raised Hungary’s official direct assistance by 247%, from an annual 114 million dollars to 400 million, or from 0.1% of GDP to 0.3%, Szijjártó said. This year, the government has already spent tens of millions of dollars to improve health services in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Laos, and Uganda, he said. Hungarian companies are also active in water management, food, agricultural and IT projects, he added.