Minister of Defence Visits Washington D.C.

In the Pentagon, Minister of Defence Tibor Benkő met General Joseph L. Lengyel, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, with whom they talked about NATO’s strategic direction south and the situation in the Western Balkans and Ukraine. The Defence Co-operation Agreement, the joint exercises and training events of the Hungarian Defence Forces and the Ohio National Guard, and the issue of migration were raised during the talks. In connection with the latter topic, Tibor Benkő highlighted that challenges such as counterterrorism and illegal mass migration require continuous and constant attention, but today Hungary has the most effective and best external border protection in the European Union.

Both leaders agreed that the effective co-operation is best guaranteed by conducting military exercises in the area. As the security situation of the Western Balkans is stable at present, but still fragile, the military presence of NATO and the EU remains essential in the region.

During his program in Washington D.C., Minister of Defence had discussions with Ambassador László Szabó, then he met the representatives of the local Hungarian diaspora. In his briefing, Tibor Benkő gave detailed information about the current objectives of the Government, and the national defence developments being implemented in accordance with these. The briefing was followed with great interest, and then the participants put questions to the Minister of Defence in the topics mentioned, who answering these, stressed the high priority of the Hungarian communities abroad, and the importance of continuous communication with them.

The next stop of the official journey will be New York, where Tibor Benkő will attend the conference of the UN Ministers of Defence, then he will meet the representatives of the Hungarians living in New York.

Photos of the Ministry of Defence