Dr. Csaba Hende: Hungarian-Mongolian Defence Cooperation on a New Level
Szöveg: honvedelem.hu / MTI | 2013. november 11. 11:28Mongolia is interested in Hungarian-developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (AUVs ) – drones and is open to cooperation in various areas of the defence industry, Defence Minister Csaba Hende told MTI by phone after an official visit to Ulan Bator on Friday, November 8.
Dr. Csaba Hende Csaba was welcomed with military honours in Ulan Bator
In his statement made by phone the Minister said that his visit had dual aims. On the one hand signing a cooperation agreement in the defence sector with his host, Minister Dasdemberel Bat-Erdene; on the other hand exploring further potential areas of the bilateral cooperation, including the exchange of experience and information, personnel exchanges, military training and education, as well as industrial research and technology.
“My Mongolian partners showed great interest in the water purification technology and in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – drones, developed upon the order of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence," the Minister informed us. They showed similar openness to the services of the Hungarian defence industry, including for instance the transport of military uniform food packages, he added. The experts have already begun conducting talks concerning this issue and others.
Negotiation about the further potential areas of the bilateral cooperation
Dr. Csaba Hende voiced his conviction that Hungary could benefit from its ties with Mongolia, and noted that the country’s GDP growth has been above 10 percent for years, and spends nearly one percent on military developments, which is higher than the Hungarian military budget in its portions.
In answering the question inquiring about the intensity of the defence relations between the two countries, the Minister said, that they may not be regarded as very intensive. Since the change of regime, there has not been a ministerial level meeting between the two counterparts, but both of them would like to see a positive change in this field in the future.
Signing the agreement on cooperation between the Defence Ministries of the two countries
„Mongolia occupies an important place in the world because it possesses large reserves of a wide range of mineral resources, it is a country, which is well worth cooperating with" – the Minister stressed, and noted that the Hungarian and Mongolian soldiers serve together in Afghanistan, and Mongolia is continuously strengthening its relations with NATO. The Minister told us, that in the course of his talks with his host he exchanged ideas about security and defence policy issues as well.
Csaba Hende arrived in the Mongolian capital from South Korea and will leave for China later in the day.
