In June 2012, he was appointed to State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations of the Prime Minister's Office.

On 4 July 2012 Orbán nominated Szijjártó as the chairman of eight economic committees to boost the Hungarian government's policy of opening up trade with countries to the east as well as consolidating Hungary's role in supporting the Western Balkan nations' EU integration, the Central European Visegrád Group of heads of government announced the same day.

[4] During a breakfast meeting of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations in Jerusalem on November 16, 2015, Szijjártó said that Hungary would not place the settlements labeling on products originating from the West Bank.

[6] Szijjártó visited Cambodia on November 3, 2020, to hold several meetings with high-ranking government officials, and tested positive for COVID-19 the following day after flying to Bangkok.

[8][9] Cambodian authorities closed schools, museums, cinemas, entertainment venues, gyms, beer gardens across Phnom Penh for two weeks.

[7] Local media reported that the Hungarian Foreign Ministry had requested for no temperature checks, mandatory mask wearing and alcohol spraying ahead of the meetings.

[10] On 16 October 2021 Szijjártó was interviewed by Al Jazeera English during which time he was forced to defend his government's policies from attacks by Ursula von der Leyen and Mark Rutte.

He explained his Parliament's law on the rights of the parent and child to security against what he referred to as bizarre ideologies and highlighted the preference of his government for referendums to settle outstanding political issues.