Since Hungary has kept the communication channels open with Russia, it is ready to mediate towards Russia in order to protect peace and further human lives, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Sunday at the peace conference in Switzerland, at which the participants adopted a final declaration.

In his speech at the conference on the solution to the war in Ukraine, the head of the ministry emphasized: he represents a country neighboring Ukraine, a country that has been living in the shadow of the war for almost two and a half years, so he was directly confronted with the humanitarian consequences of the war. More than 1.3 million refugees came to Hungary from Ukraine, including families separated, without fathers or husbands, he reminded.

He explained: Ukrainian families arriving in the country are granted access to Hungarian health care and education. There are currently around 1,600 schools and kindergartens in Hungary where children of Ukrainian refugee families attend.

Szijjártó reminded that Hungary provides financial support to Hungarian employers who employ Ukrainian refugees, and has provided vacations in camps for hundreds of Ukrainian children since the war broke out. "This is Hungary's largest humanitarian assistance operation, and we will continue as long as necessary," he emphasized.

The minister also spoke about the fact that there is a Hungarian community of about 150,000 living in the western part of Ukraine, so Hungary knows very well what sufferings Ukrainian citizens (including Transcarpathian Hungarians) had to experience in the last two and a half years.

We know how many of them were sent to the front, we know how many died, he said.

Péter Szijjártó stated: "We don't want more people to die in this war. We don't want more families to be torn apart."

He said: Hungary is practically the last European country that has not cut off communication with Russia. He is keeping communication channels open, he can negotiate with Russia, he pointed out. He added: therefore, our role can be decisive in this regard.

He emphasized: in order to "save children, to protect families from being torn apart", Hungary is ready to play a role. Please don't take it as a bad thing that communication channels are open, he said.

The head of the ministry emphasized: "We are ready, we are available, and if you have any message in this regard, we will gladly deliver it to Moscow or St. Petersburg, or wherever you want, in order to save children and families and prevent even more families from being torn apart."

The final communique adopted at the Swiss peace conference states: The territorial integrity of Ukraine must form the basis of any peace agreement.

The declaration was signed by 81 of the 93 participating countries, as well as the European Union, the most important absentees being India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Mexico, Armenia, the Vatican, Colombia and the Republic of South Africa; these countries were already represented at the meeting at the level of foreign ministers or below.

Brazil, which participated as an observer, also did not sign the document, but Turkey, which tried to mediate in the conflict, did.

In the final communique, which focuses above all on nuclear security, food security and the exchange of prisoners of war, the signatories state that the UN Charter and "respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty can and will serve as the basis for a comprehensive, just and to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine".

MTI

Cover image: Participants of the Swiss peace conference
Source: Facebook/Péter Szijjártó