István Simicskó holds discussion with NATO Military Committee Chairman

The press release states that the NATO MC Chairman visited Hungary for the last time in last September, when he gave a very positive assessment of his discussion with the leaders of the Hungarian Defence Forces and the Ministry of Defence. At the present meeting, Gen. Petr Pavel spoke with appreciation about the national defence and armed forces development program that was recently launched by Hungary and the Hungarian Defence Forces. The Chairman of the Military Committee underlined that NATO also recognizes the fact that Hungary has undertaken to reach the 2 per cent GDP guideline for defence spending by 2026.

At the discussion, István Simicskó said that they don’t share the concerns about the future of the Alliance. At the same time, he stated that “We consider NATO the cornerstone of the security of our country and Europe". In the past years, the security conditions of Europe have significantly deteriorated, instability is increasing, the challenges are becoming more and more complex, and the changes are swift and hard to predict; therefore, continuous adaptation is of key importance.

The minister of defence also underlined that Hungary is interested in a strong and efficient NATO. “This guarantees the security of the Trans-Atlantic region and contributes significantly to global stability as well", said István Simicskó, as quoted in the MoD press release.

Photos by Veronika Dévényi