MINSK, October 28. /TASS/. Global security is in a critical state, and the only way to address this situation is through dialogue between East and West, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated while speaking at the International Conference on Eurasian Security which opened in Minsk.
"The global security situation is extremely critical. We are living in the age of danger. And it is certain that the global security is in its worst shape after the conclusion of the Cold War and <...> the conclusion of World War II," Szijjarto said.
He emphasized that this situation cannot be resolved by dividing states into blocs, politically isolating individual countries and entire continents, or through military confrontation, but it can only be overcome through dialogue. Moreover, the dialogue has to be "more active than ever before," Szijjarto stressed. According to him, "cutting channels of communication means giving up the hope for peace."
At the same time, the minister noted that the policy of the current European Union leaders does not contribute to achieving this goal, as they have a tendency to engage in "overpoliticizing" and "overideologizing" international problems, including in the energy sector. "There is no textbook of economic science which will tell you it makes sense to replace a cheap and reliable [energy] resource by a more expensive and less reliable one," Szijjarto said.
He stated that the approach to solving such issues should be based solely on "common sense and nationality." According to him, what is needed now is cooperation based on mutual respect, not a policy of sanctions and restrictions. "Sanctions [against Russia] have [caused] more harm to the European economy than to the Russian," Szijjarto reminded.
He revealed that, privately, some European leaders express a "different position" from the one they proclaim publicly. Nevertheless, the EU continues its policy of sanctions against Russia, having recently adopted the 19th package and preparing the 20th. "If something doesn’t work 19 times, why would you try the 20th?" the minister wondered. He stated that instead, Hungary proposes to stop the policy of isolation and sanctions and pursue dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation.