The Hungarian government supports efforts to restore peace and order in Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday, adding that stability in Central Asia is in Hungary’s interest.
The past few years have shown that the situation in the Central Asian region has a fundamental impact on the security of Europe and more particularly of Central Europe, the Foreign Ministry said quoting Szijjártó in a video call with the foreign ministers of the Organization of Turkish States, in which Hungary has observer status.
“Our interests lie in a peaceful and stable Central Asia,” Szijjártó said. “Attempts at destabilization and coups go completely against our security interests, because they end up giving more space to acts of terror and the spread of radical and extremist ideologies, which tends to lead to the emergence of large migratory waves from various regions”.
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Ahead of the Turkish Council videoconference, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Kazakhstan was a strategic partner, which is why Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and assured him of solidarity of Hungary towards the victims of the recent developments. Referring to the events, he said that in Kazakhstan “an attempt was made to overthrow the constitutional order, and a well-coordinated attack was carried out against the Kazakh state itself.” The Hungarian government offered its aid to the Kazakh state last week, the foreign minister added.
Szijjártó said that the members of the Organization of Turkish States adopted a joint statement during their virtual meeting in which they condemned “violence and vandalism” in Kazakhstan, expressed their solidarity with the Kazakh people as well as their sympathies for the death toll as a result of the country’s upheaval.
Regarding violent protests, Szijjártó said, “We know very well from experience what tends to happen in these cases on the international political scene. We usually see so-called human rights groups and some countries wanting to criticize and endorse statements condemning the situation.
“But there is no room for them this time,” the minister said, adding that the international community should instead work to prevent a repeat of “similar disturbing and violent developments.”
Those responsible for any form of violence should not be absolved and terrorist groups and organizations spreading extremist ideology should not be given space to operate, he added.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó said recent developments in Kazakhstan have also demonstrated the importance of economic development programs in the region, saying it is economic progress that provides the foundations for stability and peace. The Hungarian government therefore supports the creation of a Turkish investment fund, which could help launch new investment projects in Central Asia, he said.
Photo courtesy of Balázs Mohai/MTI
