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International politics must ‘fundamentally change’ to tackle crises, says Hungarian minister in NY
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International politics needs to change fundamentally in order to tackle the current severe crises, and it should return to “mutual respect … and stop using peace as a swearword”, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said in New York on Monday.
He said the ongoing UN General Assembly was the tensest of the past decade.
“There are about thirty wars or armed conflicts ongoing in the world. Two of them could undermine global security any minute. Additionally, two of those conflicts are escalating, or the risk of an escalation is extremely high,” he said, according to a ministry statement.
A summit on the future is taking place on Monday and Tuesday, Szijjártó noted. The meeting is scheduled to table issues on water supplies, population growth and green transition, but those issues have had to take a back seat to the matter of peace and war, he said.
The question, he said, was whether a third world war and the escalation of the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine could be avoided, “and whether the global pro-peace majority can ensure that the word peace is not used as a swearword in international politics”, Szijjártó said.
The minister said he would also address the meeting, stressing that international politics must undergo fundamental change to resolve the current grave crises.
“Diplomacy should provide the tools for international policymaking, which should be based on dialogue … We must cease attempts to discredit those arguing for peace. Nationally minded patriotic politicians should not be threatened with political, legal or physical annihilation,” he said.
Curious as to Mr. Lavrov´s speech, this year! Snippet from last year:
“Perhaps for the first time since 1945, when the United Nations was established, there is now a chance for genuine democratisation of global affairs. This inspires optimism in all those who believe in the rule of law internationally and want to see a revival of the UN as the central coordinating body for global politics – a body where decisions are made by consensus, based on an honest balance of interests.” https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1905973/
Wow. Could be lifted straight from Mr. Szijjártó´s speech, were it not that the above quote was 2023…
A potential opportunity that is being flagged is a reform of the UN Security Council. As you may know, the UN Security Council is charged with maintaining international peace and security. It has 15 Members, with five Members having a veto right (United States., Russia, China, Britain and France). The reform discussion in the General Assembly picked up again after Russia invaded Ukraine and then used its Security Council veto to block any action by the body. Conversely, the United States has also long been criticized for shielding Israel from council action.
Notable backers of reform are African countries (Mr. Szijjártó may get his wish!) and key countries such as Germany, Brazil, Japan and India. Ideas include expanding the council’s membership adding more permanent veto powers or introduce term limited, elected members to better reflect the world.
Challenge is that changes to the Security Council Membership requires amendment of the UN Charter, which requires the approval and ratification by two thirds of the General Assembly. Let´s see.