"The war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible, we want peace in our region and we want an end to the suffering of people in Ukraine"
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said on Wednesday in Geneva and refused to draw parallels between refugees from Ukraine and illegal migrants.
Speaking at the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, the head of the ministry stated: Hungary will do everything in its power to return peace to Ukraine and East-Central Europe. He said he represents a country that has faced huge security risks in recent days. The Hungarians do not want this war, "we Hungarians want peace, peace as soon as possible," he said. He added:
"we stand by our Ukrainian friends", we support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
He said:
"we express our full solidarity with our neighbor" and trust in the success of the peace negotiations.
He reminded: as a neighboring country, Hungary also offered to host the negotiations. The minister welcomed the fact that the first round of negotiations had already taken place and expressed the hope that the second round would be held soon. "Of course the venue doesn't matter, but the negotiations must continue," he said. He reported that the Hungarian government had taken all the necessary measures to protect the country and its people, and had taken all the necessary decisions to avoid Hungary drifting into war. The government has decided not to send soldiers or weapons to Ukraine, nor to allow weapons shipments to pass through, because they could become the targets of military actions and thereby endanger the lives of Hungarians, he pointed out . Péter Szijjártó highlighted:
the most basic human right is the right to safe and peaceful living conditions, and this right of Ukrainian people has been seriously violated, many have to leave their homes.
He noted: this situation is not unknown to Hungary, as tens of thousands of refugees came to the country due to the war in the former Yugoslavia. He said: in the past less than a week, Hungary has already accepted more than a hundred thousand refugees from Ukraine. All border crossings are open, all Ukrainian citizens and those who have legally stayed in the territory of Ukraine are admitted, he explained. He also said: these refugees had to leave their country because their lives were in danger, and Hungary, as the first safe country, fulfills its duty to help them. The head of the ministry refused to draw parallels between refugees from Ukraine and illegal migrants. Illegal migrants often behave aggressively and want to cross the green border, but refugees from Ukraine come to the border crossings and wait disciplinedly and patiently, said Péter Szijjártó.
Source: MTI / Opening image: infostart.hu
