It Was a Good Decision to Join NATO

Tibor Benkő said at the “Hungary 20 Years in NATO" conference that the seventy years of history of the Alliance and the twenty years of Hungary in the Alliance show that the organisation has been continuously and successfully adapting to the security challenges. “The Alliance has not lost its raison d’être, but on the contrary, it still plays a vital role in maintaining the security of the transatlantic region today" – he stressed. In the changing world new security challenges and threats have appeared. These include among others the so-called hybrid warfare and the cyber threats. Thus, the security environment is in danger, and Europe is surrounded by unstable regions from the east and south, such as the Western Balkans. In our unstable world the chances of the development of conflicts have increased, and in parallel with this the role of military force has gained in importance. Security became a core value, consequently, national defence cannot lose from its significance, either" –the Minister noted.

“In addition to our nation’s own strength, i.e. the capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces, the commitment and sacrifices of the citizens – our NATO-membership, the twenty years of co-operation with our allies constitute one of the pillars of our home defence,. However, there is no question that Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, that is the provision on the collective defence is the cornerstone of Hungary’s military security", Tibor Benkő highlighted. As he added: however, we must also not forget about Article 3, on the need to continuously upgrade the national military capabilities, as NATO’s strength is given by the military capabilities of its member states. Accordingly, the modernisation of the Hungarian Defence Forces, the Zrínyi 2026 Defence and Military Development Programme is reinforcing NATO.

In the past twenty years a smaller, more effective, more professional army has been formed in Hungary, and during this time the armed forces have become able to build co-operation with partners and allies both in peace and in times of crisis. The Hungarian Defence Forces have been involved in different NATO missions since 1999: in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Also, the country has continuously increased its military spending: last year, Hungary already spent 1.41 percent of its GDP on defence, and this will increase to 2 percent by 2024. “We have arrived at a historic moment, when the Hungarian Defence Forces could become one of the region’s determining military forces with relation both to its equipment and military capability. “We are contributing to the capabilities of the Alliance and to guaranteeing the security of its member countries to a never before seen extent. We took the right path, as the allies have always spoken highly of the professionalism and sacrifices of the Hungarian soldiers" – the Minister declared.

In his opening speech, the House Speaker, László Kövér said that in 1956 the Hungarian hopes placed in the military strength of the Western world proved to be illusory, and more than four decades had to pass, until realpolitik in 1999 made these wishes come true. The Hungarian people faced first-hand that there cannot be world political balance between the East and the West without military balance, but it is inconceivable in the absence of the North Atlantic Treaty. Hungary – along with the Czech Republic and Poland – joined the Alliance on 12th March, 1999, in which it was crucial that the parties of the Parliament and the society had always supported the membership. In the NATO referendum, in the end, 85% of those who voted answered in the affirmative.

In the past twenty years the membership has had a continued support, which is due to the fact, that Hungary’s security relies on more solid foundation than ever, and that the country is an active participant of the North-Atlantic area, and – as part of this – of the decisions shaping the security environment. “Looking back on the two decades of our NATO-membership, it can also be established that our homeland’s commitment to the values represented by the Alliance and our contribution to the common efforts have been clearly recognised both inside and outside NATO. This is mainly due to the fact that Hungary provides serious support to the different operations of the Alliance, and it does not want to be just a simple beneficiary of the security guarantees given to the members by NATO" – underlined László Kövér.

Levente Magyar, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade emphasised that there is hardly a member of the Alliance, for whom the epithet “military nation" would better fit, than on Hungary. In the past one thousand years the nation has been living on the glories of the weapons, characterised by hopeless fights against superior numbers and by constant heroism. “We have almost always had to fend for ourselves or participate in alliances we had been forced into. Now it had been the first time, we were able to take our fate into our own hands, and decide according to the best of our conviction and discretion on the accession to NATO, where we feel at home" – the State Secretary noted.

In his short speech, Patrick Turner, Assistant Secretary-General for Defence Policy and Planning highlighted that for twenty years the Alliance has been – and it is now – the guarantee of security and legality. Its members are committed to these shared values, and the organisation’s unity is also its power. Assistant Secretary-General praised Hungary’s contribution to the Alliance’s missions, with particular emphasis on the Western Balkan, the Afghan and the Iraqi missions. He also stressed that NATO’s strength lies mainly in its unity and in adapting to the challenges, furthermore in the reasonable sharing of burdens among the Member States. “Hungary has played a vital role in guaranteeing security, and the Member States appreciate its contribution to burden-sharing" – concluded Patrick Turner.

At the conference also spoke David Cornstein, the US Ambassador to Hungary, János Martonyi and László Kovács former Foreign Ministers, Zsolt Németh, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly, Attila Mesterházy, the Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly and Dr. Szilveszter Vizi E. the President of the Hungarian Atlantic Council (HAC).

A photo exhibition depicting the main milestones of Hungary’s NATO accession and membership opened after the event in the Parliament. The exhibition was opened by Lajos Erdélyi, the Deputy State Secretary for Human Policy of the Ministry of Defence, who said that there are hundreds of pictures on the tableaus, which tell the history of the country’s NATO-membership. “Our achievements could not have been attained, without the selfless work of the politicians and soldiers, who took part in the preparation of the accession" – he added. Deputy State Secretary noted that the exhibition will be shown nationwide in the different garrisons, but the interested public can visit it abroad as well.