Agreement Signed on the Development of Latvian–Hungarian Military Cooperation

Speaking at a press conference, Minister Hende said that he and his Latvian counterpart had reviewed the scope for the further deepening of an agreement concluded between the two countries in 1999. They hope that the presently signed new basic document will give new impetus to the development of cooperation.

Under the agreement, the main areas in the development of Latvian–Hungarian military cooperation are as follows: sharing the experiences gained from the defence reforms and the EU presidency, cooperation in mapping, sharing the lessons learned in planning, organizing and conducting multinational NATO-led military operations, and expanding the scope of cooperation in the fields of logistics and military medicine.

The two defence ministers discussed current issues in security and defence policy, with special regard to the crisis in Ukraine. Minister Hende stressed that Hungary shares the concerns of the Baltic states and Poland – Russia’s neighbor countries – and supports the efforts that are needed to strengthen their security.

In the morning of Thursday, August 28, the Latvian Minister of Defence visited Kecskemét, where he saw the Gripen fighters and met the airmen who will perform air policing tasks in the Baltic states, including Latvia, between September and December 2015.

At the press conference, Raimonds Vejonis thanked Hungary for assuming a role in the Baltic Air Policing Mission. Speaking about his visit to Kecskemét, he said that the defence of the Baltic airspace would be guaranteed by state-of-the-art aircraft and professional pilots.

The two defence ministers also discussed the topics of next week’s NATO Wales Summit, and their expectations about them. Raimonds Vejonis said that there would be certain key issues on the agenda of the summit which require special attention both on national level and the level of the Alliance. By way of example, he mentioned the early warning systems and NATO’s capability of giving timely responses to the changes in our security situation and environment. The Latvian Minister of Defence is of the opinion that for NATO to be able to promote its political interests, it needs to reinforce the eastern wing of the Alliance. As he noted, the three Baltic states and Poland consider it equally important that NATO increase its presence in the region.

Raimonds Vejonis said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unacceptable. In his opinion, the developments show that Russia is not seeking a political solution. He added that it is also clear that the “counterterrorist activity" of the Ukrainian armed forces has so far been successful, and that Russia is trying to find a way to change this situation.

Raimonds Vejonis pointed out that in a period when Europe must face such security challenges, the signing of the Latvian–Hungarian agreement has been timely.

Photos by Mária Krasznai-Nehrebeczky