Handover of Hungarian Camp Starts in Afghanistan

Maj.-Gen. Jörg Vollmer, the commander of ISAF RC-North delivered a speech in which he
pointed out that today the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are a combat-ready force,
so the international forces can gradually hand over the already completed tasks to them. As
a result of the work done in the last few years, today the ANSF guarantee security for 87 per
cent of the Afghan population, and lead 80 per cent of the military operations conducted in the
country.

In the opinion of the RC-North commander, security can be created and maintained by joining
forces, and to achieve this, the Afghan Civil Order Police, the Afghan National Army (ANA)
and the population must do something together with the international forces.

In his speech, Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the HDF JFC said that nearly
seven years before Hungary had joined the strategy worked out by the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Afghan government, so that it can assist the development of
the country and the province with the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Five fields were given
priority in the cooperative work that began: security, governance, reconstruction, health care
and education.

Since 2006, progress has been made in all these fields, and we have achieved many results.
We built schools, handed over roads, and improved the level of health care for the population
by building medical institutions. In the field of security, together with our American ally, we
helped setting up military and police forces in the province and enabled the Afghan National
Security Forces (ANSF) to take over responsibility for security in the country, Maj.-Gen.
Domján said.

The general said thanks for the joint work and cooperation. The commander of the HDF JFC
announced that the Hungarian Defence Forces had finished their activity in Baghlan Province.
“However, we will not leave the country on its own, since the HDF continue to carry out
several tasks as part of the ISAF forces", he added.

László Domján stressed that “the withdrawal of the Provincial Reconstruction Team was
planned together with the Afghan government and the international forces". The handover
was preceded by a several-week series of negotiations with the representatives of the Afghan
government, and a special-purpose Afghan–Hungarian provincial joint commission worked
out the concrete details.

Camp Pannonia is the only Hungarian-run base in Afghanistan. In the autumn of 2006, the
Hungarian Defence Forces took over the area from the Dutch partners together with the
tasks of the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Over the six and a half years that have passed
since, more than 2500 Hungarian soldiers have served their six-month service here – many
of them doing three or even four tours of duty with the mission. These close to seven years
saw Albanian, US, Bulgarian, Croatian, Montenegrin, German and Slovak troops working
in the camp under Hungarian command for longer or shorter periods of time. In the last few
years, significant extension and fortification works were completed in Camp Pannonia, in
consequence of which the base now meets all security standards, reflecting at the same time
the Hungarian military and cultural characteristics in all its elements. This has been a “little
Hungary" for the soldiers serving here.

“Hungary is proud of the results that have been achieved together with you here in Baghlan
Province over the last close to seven years. The Hungarian Defence Forces thank the
provincial government and the population for supporting our efforts", Maj.-Gen. László
Domján said in closing his speech.

Since October 2006, the Hungarian Defence Forces have been deploying the contingent
of the Provincial Reconstruction Team to help the development of Afghanistan. The last
development project of the PRT, a renovated 12-classroom wing of the Hazrat Zaid School
was handed over by Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the HDF JFC on the day
before the camp handover ceremony.

The implementation of development projects will not stop in the province with the withdrawal
of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, as the NGOs and international organizations working
in this field will continue their activity that has been coordinated with the help of the PRT.

Photo: Tünde Rácz