Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charbel Wehbe, on Monday met with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto.
Minister Wehbe described the meeting as “honest and friendly”, adding that it mainly broached the conditions that Lebanon currently endures at the economic, political, and financial levels, in addition to the sufferings of Lebanese students abroad.
For his part, Szijjarto stressed that the security of the Middle East was of paramount importance for Hungary and for Europe as a whole.
“We are well aware that security and stability in the Middle East will not be achieved apart from stability in Lebanon, and we consider that the government formation issue is an internal matter that must be agreed upon by the Lebanese parties themselves without any foreign meddling,” Szijjarto said.
He went on to dismiss external meddling as bad for Lebanon.
“We do not believe that the external pressure, which is being practiced against the biggest Christian party in Lebanon, is a good thing,” he exclaimed, stressing that Lebanon is in more need of help instead of sanctions and foreign interference.
“It is our responsibility to support Christians in all the countries of the world, so I assure you that the Maronite community in Lebanon can count on our support in the future,” he added.
Szijjarto pledged more support from international organizations to Lebanon in a bid to combat the phenomenon of migration, assist refugees, and prevent illegal immigration from Lebanon.
“We commend Lebanon for sheltering millions of refugees, providing them with all the necessary supplies, but we also believe that refugees must return to their homeland at the absence of the reasons that had led to their migration in the first place,” Szijjarto concluded.
Source: NNA
