The Minister of Defence Received the British Ambassador

Szöveg: Ministry of Defence | 2018. június 21. 16:49

His Excellency Mr. Iain Lindsay OBE, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Hungary was the first from among the foreign ambassadors, whom the Minister of Defence Dr. Tibor Benkő received on Thursday, June 21st in Budapest.

In the meeting the Minister of Defence acknowledged that the British-Hungarian relations have significantly strengthened in the past two years, which must be maintained in the future. The Minister highlighted: we have seen a new impetus in the bilateral military relations as well, which is also reflected by the regular attendance of the British soldiers in the international exercises, hosted by our country.

This year the soldiers of the British Armed Forces have already participated on two occasions in exercises staged in Hungary, and they are represented in the currently ongoing ETAP-T 18 exercise. Dr. Tibor Benkő underlined that the close co-operation – even in the post-BREXIT period – is essential, as the United Kingdom has a decisive role in safeguarding the security of the continent.

In the meeting, the parties agreed that during the approaching summit, NATO should demonstrate unity, at the same time, however, the co-operation between the Member States is also of vital importance.

Besides discussing the major developments affecting the bilateral military relations and the possibilities of the further co-operation, the partners also exchanged words about the achievements of the Zrínyi 2026 National Defence and Armed Forces Development Program accomplished until now, and about the future objectives and direction of that as well.