Hungarian foreign minister meets with his Iraqi counterpart – UPDATE

Budapest (MTI) – The stability of Iraq is one of the most important issues as regards European security, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

At a joint news conference held after meeting his counterpart Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, the Hungarian minister said Iraq played a pivotal role in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation. The defeat of IS is crucial to security at various points in the world and a solution to the migration crisis, he said.

After the two officials signed a pact on avoiding double taxation, they both called for closer ties between the European Union and Iraq to promote peace and security.

Szijjártó said unless IS is defeated in short order, Europe will again face “dramatic challenges” such as a new migration wave and the threat of terrorism.

Hungary urges tighter cooperation between the European Union and Iraq and an increase in EU humanitarian aid to the country. He noted 10 million people depend on aid in Iraq and 4.5 million are internally displaced.

Hungary plays an active role in the fight against IS, the minister said. Currently 146 Hungarian soldiers are serving in northern Iraq and new weapons will be sent to the region in January. Also, 15 Iraqi officers are being trained in Hungary. The country is also ready to treat any injured Iraqi soldiers, he added.

Hungary has paid 3 million euros into the EU fund that provides humanitarian aid to the region and has sent its own aid worth 190 million forints since the conflict broke out. In addition, it is financing 100 scholarships for Iraqi students studying in Hungarian universities. A related agreement is about to be renewed, he added.