Ambassadors Received by the Minister of Defence Dr. Tibor Benkő

Minister of Defence Dr. Tibor Benkő first met UN Ambassador H.E. Mrs. Katalin Bogyay, who provided information on the main tasks of the Permanent Mission in New York during the previous period; the current issues related to Hungarian Defence Forces’ engagements in foreign missions were also touched upon during the discussion. In the meeting the Minister pointed out that the good co-operation with the United Nations, the participation in the UN peacekeeping operations have always been vital for the Hungarian Defence Forces. Dr. Tibor Benkő emphasised that the priority objective of the Ministry of Defence is to ensure that the contributions to the UN missions are maintained at an appropriate level, and to guarantee the ongoing commitment of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

Following the discussion with the UN Ambassador, the Minister of Defence received the Ambassador of Hungary to Ljubljana H.E. Mrs. Edit Szilágyiné Bátorfi. Dr. Tibor Benkő highlighted that in respect of the military-to-military relations Slovenia, as a neighbouring country is of paramount importance for us. One of the common historical connecting factors between our countries is the military experience of World War I; thus, the commemorations of these events will be arranged in the spirit of the centenary. The Minister also recalled that in the previous period several forward-looking common programs have been either staged or launched by the two countries.

The Ambassador of Hungary to Moscow, H.E. Mr. Norbert Konkoly, who travels to his post in September 2018, was also received in his office by the Minister of Defence. In the meeting Dr. Tibor Benkő underlined that Russia is a key actor, and we shall endeavour for a pragmatic co-operation with her. The care of war graves is a priority issue in Hungary, and in this area, there is an excellent and close co-operation between us.

Photos by Ensign Lajos Szabó