Péter Szijjártó said to journalists that the government will make its final decision on Hungarian military participation against the Islamic State when consultations with the parliamentary parties end, adding that he believes, as regards this issue, that a two-thirds majority is an achievable and "realistic scenario".
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said before the closed joint session of the Committees on Defence and National Security of the National Assembly that following his report on Tuesday at the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly, he also provided information about this at the meeting of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and U.S. Ambassador Colleen Bell. He added that he believes the two-thirds majority will be achieved based on the fact that there were representatives of the opposition parties who stated that they are willing to back the involvement.
He emphasised that it had already become clear that the activities of the Islamic State have in general increased the terrorist threat in Europe and thus also in Hungary. It is obvious that if Hungary sends soldiers to the region, preparations are needed to be made for the security of the soldiers and preparations also need to be made at home, he added.
Mr Szijjártó said that the Chairman of the Committee on Defence Lajos Kósa (Fidesz) and the Chairman of the Committee on National Security Zsolt Molnár (MSZP) convened a closed session so that the leaders of the Information Office (IH), the Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) and the Military National Security Service (KNBSZ) could brief them regarding on essential information, primarily about the possibly evolving security situation. This information is not public but is of utmost importance for MPs in order to be able to make a well-founded and responsible decision.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the leader of the Information Office, István Pásztor, the leader of the Counter-Terrorism Centre, János Hajdu and the leader of the Military National Security Service, József Kovács, can provide information that will inevitably and fundamentally influence the decision of MPs.
Mr Szijjártó also pointed out that the government will decide after the consultations with the parliamentary parties have ended. As he emphasised, the deployment of soldiers abroad and the repulsion of the attack launched against the Western community of values are on the agenda. "If there is a national issue, then this is one", he claimed.
He added that this decision should not be made along the government opposition dimension, they would prefer to gain the widest possible support in Parliament. The government decision will be made once the standpoint of the parliamentary parties has become clear. The final decision will be made by the Parliament and it will have to be implemented by the government, the Minister explained before the session.
In addition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the leaders of civilian and military intelligence services, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Tibor Benkő and Minister of State for Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Interior László Tasnádi will also attend the joint closed session of the Committees on Defence and National Security to provide information on the military participation.