„Hungary Will Completely Fulfill All the Commitments Made in Wales”

Speaking at the assembly meeting, the Minister of Defence stated that Hungary has (and will have) special responsibilities in several respects. “The European public opinion should take seriously the security environment around us and should support the policy of strengthening the armed forces", he said, adding that the security architecture in Europe has significantly worsened due to the crisis in Ukraine and the Islamic State terror organization gaining ground in the Middle East. The challenges from the east and the south are looming large and the consequences of the conflicts have long crossed the borders of our countries. “An unprecedented flood of refugees has started from the directions of the Middle East and North Africa. There is a great migration pressure on the southern and south-eastern countries of Europe", he said.

In analyzing the Ukrainian situation, Minister Hende pointed out that Hungary is not only affected as a neighbor country but also because of the Hungarian ethnic minority in Ukraine, many of whom are reported to have been conscripted and deployed in combat in the Donetsk region. “The coming of the happy times of peace in the 21st century is just an illusion", the Minister of Defence said, adding that “these events have strengthened transatlantic and European unity. I think NATO is giving effective responses in this situation."

Referring to the Wales Summit, Minister Hende said that the decisions taken there had not previously been open to debate. As a consequence of the crisis in Ukraine, after a long time the United States are turning special attention to Europe again, which increases the strenght of the Alliance. All member states have understood their responsibility and the importance of their tasks. “Hungary will completely fulfill everything it has undertaken in Wales", he stated.

The Minister of Defence added that a motion put forward during the week proposes to increase the budget of the Ministry of Defence by HUF 50 billion next year. This means some 20 per cent increase in the budget. He also added that in an earlier governmental decision, Hungary had already undertaken to increase the defence budget by 0.1 per cent of the GDP every year until 2022. According to Minister Hende, taking into account the growth of Hungarian economy, Hungary will at least double its defence budget in seven years.

Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, Chief of Defence informed the members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly about the activities and role of the Hungarian Defence Forces. He emphasized that the security environment has undergone exceptional changes, and in response, Hungary has significantly increased its participation in foreign international exercises.

The Chief of Defence briefly spoke about the role assumed by the Hungarian Defence Forces in Iraq, at the same time emphasizing that the Balkans Joint Operational Area (JOA) should not be forgotten either. As he said, two-thirds of the mission activities are performed by the EUFOR HUNCON in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the (recently augmented) KFOR HUNCON in Kosovo.

In addition, as of this September, Hungarian Gripen fighter jets will be stationed for four months in Lithuania, where they will perform tasks of the Baltic Air Policing mission, Gen. Tibor Benkő said.

Photo: Mária Krasznai-Nehrebeczky