Iraqi Foreign Minister Visits Hungary

Dr. István Simicskó pointed out that our support is underpinned by our military presence, as Hungary contributes close to 150 troops to coalition-led operations. He noted that at the request of the United States, in accordance with a decision of the National Assembly, last year our country joined the multinational mission of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, after the government of Iraq turned for help to the UN member nations in June 2014. As part of our assistance, the HDF NCO Academy is currently running an English-language Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) course in the framework of the NATO Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative, with the participation of 14 soldiers from the Iraqi central government.

The topics of discussion also included the Iraqi government’s plans to help create the conditions for the return of internally displaced persons (IDP) in areas already freed from ISIL, and the forms of external assistance requested for this task. Participation in the rebuilding of Iraq is important to Hungary because the stability of Iraq is indispensable for the security of Europe.

Photo: Veronika Dévényi