Monday, 11 November 2007
The Speech of Peter Medgyessy at the "Middle East : Homeland & Global Security Forum"
By the beginning of the 21st century, whether we want it or not, globalisation has become the greatest challenge for all economic and political alliances.
Basically two kinds of responses have emerged to globalisation. One is the modernisation response. This does not flee from globalisation as a challenge; rather it uses it to develop the economy, and to improve economic and social competitiveness. The other kind of response builds on illusions, it is the closed, national, radical response, in many cases clothed into the cloak of religion.
In the Middle East, the answer to this question still remains to be seen. The process of social and economic modernisation here runs at a different pace.
I am convinced that the processes of modernisation, changes, reforms and democratisation are of fundamental importance to the countries and peoples of the region. At the same time, I know that democracy has different meanings in Europe, China, the USA, India or in the Arab region, and that everyone should respect this on the basis of high cultural traditions.
For decades, the region of the Middle East and the Gulf has been in the centre of attention of the international community. On a global scale, this is the location of the most intensive diplomatic and political contacts. The events happening here define the course of world politics in many respects; they influence global political and economic power relations.
The region attracts special attention due to its strategically important fossil fuel reserves, the serious crises with global impact, as well as the huge solvent demand of the markets in the Arab world.
The Middle East region, similarly to other regions of the world, has to face political, social, economic problems and challenges that have a wide international effect. Since 11 September 2001, terrorism has become a decisive factor in international foreign policy.
I wish to emphasise my view that the reasons behind terrorism may be traced back to economic and social issues, but by no means does it have cultural reasons.
The Israeli-Palestinian opposition, the crisis in Iraq, and the security threats affecting the Gulf region can only be resolved through effective international and regional collaboration.
As a European, as a former prime minister seeing through my country’s EU accession in 2004, I believe that the EU serves as a good example of how conflicts may be resolved in a regulated framework.
It is my conviction that the EU is the most successful political, cultural and social enterprise of the European nations. In a historical sense, it is the true, great European agreement and accord, the discovery of each other, the progressive attempt for the reconciliation of European nations with similar or close to identical historical traditions. We are ready to share our experiences with all the interested actors of the Middle East region.
The attempt seems to be successful so far, as there has been no war in the area of the European Union since its establishment. And considering the history of Europe, especially the bloodstained 20th century, this is indeed a noteworthy achievement.
What we have thought and acted in relation to the largest security policy problem of our time, international terrorism, has by now proved to be a long lasting, not a temporary phenomenon that is also very difficult to handle.
This challenge is obviously difficult to manage for the Gulf Cooperation Council, the NATO, the UN or the European Union alike. It is very hard to operate with traditional solutions. A much more effective strategy has to be developed by the international community.
In the frame of the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP, the European Union strives to play an increasingly large role in the resolution of international crises, thus in the wider Middle East conflicts.
I am convinced that the token of the success of the EU’s crisis prevention and crisis management activities can only be an approach which aims at close dialogue and cooperation with other players active in the region.
Mutual respect, the intent to get to know and understand each other are key for the security and success of the nations and civilizations to live side by side in a mutually beneficial way.
Although hard to find on the map, Hungary and the Hungarians have contributed considerably to the mutual understanding of Arab-Muslim and the Antique-Jewish-Christian civilisations. Here I am remembering:
- Gyula Germanus who was born Hungarian and consecrated his entire life to studying Islam. He was buried by the Muslim tradition under the name Hadji Abdul Karim in Hungary,
- Ignác Goldziher, who was an orientalist, internationally recognised researcher of the Middle East, founder of Arabic studies and Semitic philology in Hungary,
- or Ármin Vámbéry, the internationally recognised researcher of Islamic culture and Eastern languages.
From this conference I am leaving for Singapore tonight, where I shall represent Hungary as the personal envoy of the prime minister at the summit organised on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the relations of the EU-ASEAN countries.
I have accepted the prime minister’s request because this outstanding event also aims at understanding better the views of others, at achieving dialogue and cooperation. These are fundamental norms of attitudes without which the security of the Middle East and, together with it, of the whole world is impossible to achieve.