Minister of Defence Holds Talks on Hungarian–Turkish Defence Cooperation in Ankara

On 23 November 2017 in Ankara, the Minister of Defence was received with military honors by his Turkish counterpart, Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli at the Ministry of Defence. After a closed-door meeting and the subsequent discussion between the delegations, the two ministers signed an agreement on the mutual protection of classified data in defence industry, and then they signed two letters of intent as well. In what followed, the two ministers held a joint press briefing.

In his speech, Dr. István Simicskó called the signature of the documents a historic moment and the result of yearslong work. He pointed out that the power and capabilities of the Turkish armed forces and Turkey’s stability are a guarantee of the security of the people of Europe.
Defence cooperation is equally important to the Hungarian and the Turkish people, and further increases their friendship, the Hungarian minister of defence emphasized. In his address, Nurettin Canikli pointed out that Hungary is a friend of Turkey, and demonstrates it also with the support it provides at the international level. In the framework of the now signed agreements, the two sides will share their potentials and capabilities with each other. Hungary and Turkey need strong armed forces and systems of defence, the Turkish defence minister stated.

Dr. István Simicskó told Hungarian news agency MTI that the letter of intent on defence cooperation encompasses the areas of defence industry, logistics, exercises, training programs and courses, that is, the field of education too. Speaking about the letter of intent on cooperation in the field of military history, he explained that Hungary wishes to put up a memorial plaque commemorating the some 200 Hungarian troops who fought in defence of the Dardanelles at Gallipoli in the First World War. Next year will see the centenary of the end of WWI, and the Turkish side also supports this gesture, the Hungarian minister noted. He added that research and charting the common past in military history are also part of the letter of intent.

On his visit to Turkey lasting until Sunday, Dr. István Simicskó is going to see the plants of several Turkish defence industry companies. In the interview to MTI, the minister of defence said that on the first day he had been introduced to the profiles of two defence industry companies. He pointed out that Turkey is in possession of real combat experience. As he said, the aim of his visit is to receive an update on the possibilities of the Turkish armed forces. After the United States, Turkey has the second largest military in NATO. At the same time, Dr. István Simicskó noted that in accordance with a NATO guideline, the member countries must increase their defence capabilities and spend 2 per cent of their GDPs on defence. Hungary has undertaken to reach this target by 2024. At a meeting of the high-level strategic council in late June, the previous Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik invited the Hungarian minister of defence to Turkey in order to expand with new areas the cooperation between the two countries.

Photo: Ministry of Defence