Hungary Is Committed to Maintaining Stability of the Baltic Region

The 124 personnel of the Hungarian contingent participating in Exercise “Training Bridge 2017" deployed to Võru on 1 July for three months. During the visit to the unit, Tamás Vargha was introduced to the work of Hungarian soldiers. Then, speaking at a staff meeting, he stated that “apparently, the Hungarian contingent maintains a good relationship with local Estonian military leaders, and its work is held in great esteem. Our soldiers have high professional standards and their knowledge earns them recognition. We are proud of you and of the fact that through your work you are protecting and guaranteeing our security in the Baltic region too."

Tamás Vargha added that the role of the Hungarian Defence Forces in the Baltic region is very important to us. In 2016, the Visegrád Four (V4) countries made a decision about deploying a company-strong task force to the areas of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in quarterly rotations, with the aim of conducting joint exercises and training alongside the armed forces of the Baltic countries as a contribution to the NATO Assurance Measures. The execution of the task demonstrates Hungary’s commitment to NATO, the Baltic allies and the V4 cooperation, and complements the role it assumed earlier in the Baltic Air Policing mission, which is to be continued in 2019.

In Võru, Tamás Vargha emphasized that this exercise too provides our troops with opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they gained during training. A 110-strong Hungarian detachment will return in 2019 to participate in the Baltic Air Policing mission with four Gripen fighter planes.

During his tour in Estonia, the deputy minister of defence met with Kristjan Prikk, Undersecretary for Defence Policy at the Estonian Ministry of Defence, and with Hannes Hanso, Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Parliament of Estonia.

During the discussions, the delegations reviewed some current topics in security and defence policy, and the issues of bilateral cooperation. In the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the state secretaries signed an updated and modernized version of an agreement regulating bilateral military cooperation – first signed by the representatives of the two countries back in 1998 – which has become necessary due to recent changes in the security environment.

Photo: Veronika Dévényi