BUDAPEST, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Hungary has a compelling national security interest to promote stability in Central Asia, and therefore the government supports efforts to restore peace and order in Kazakhstan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday on his Facebook page.
Szijjarto posted his message following a video conference of the Organization of Turkic States, which Hungary joined in 2018 as an observer member.
According to Szijjarto, experience from recent years has shown that the situation in the Central Asian region had a fundamental impact on the security of Europe in general and central Europe in particular.
"Our interests lie in a peaceful and stable Central Asia," Szijjarto wrote. "Attempts at destabilization and coups run completely counter to our security interests, since they end up making more room for acts of terror and the spread of radical and extremist ideologies, which tend to lead to the emergence of large migration waves from various regions."
The participants in the video conference adopted a joint statement, in which they condemned the violence and the acts of vandalism in Kazakhstan, voiced their solidarity with the Kazakh people and expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.
"We know quite well from experience what tends to happen in these instances on the international political scene: We usually see so-called human rights groups and certain countries wanting to level criticism and approve declarations condemning the situation," Szijjarto wrote about the riots.
Instead of condemning others, the international community should focus on preventing the repetition of such "worrisome and violent" events in the future, he wrote. Those responsible for any form of violence must not be absolved and terrorist groups and organizations spreading extremist ideologies must not be given room to operate, he wrote.
The recent developments in Kazakhstan have also shown the importance of economic development programs in the region, as they provide stability and peace. Therefore, Hungary's government supports the establishment of an investment fund by the members of the Turkic Council, he wrote.
According to Szijjarto, all Hungarian citizens who requested help from Budapest to leave Kazakhstan have already been evacuated. ■
