Polish-Hungarian Defence Co-operation Expanding

Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of National Defence of Poland visited to Hungary upon the invitation of the Minister of Defence. The two ministers negotiated in the Ministry of Defence, and they reported in a joint press conference on the outcome of their talks.

Tibor Benkő called the discussion useful and forward looking. As he said, the two countries basically agree on all defence and security issues. In particular, he highlighted that their common position on illegal migration has been unchanged since 2015, and that the threats from the South and the East mean an extremely serious challenge to both countries. “We face new risks, and therefore the armed forces development program of both of our countries is very important, as they can give response to the challenges" – the Defence Minister pointed out. Regarding the implementation of the Polish-Hungarian joint tasks, Tibor Benkő emphasised the exemplary good co-operation. “We equally take part in the NATO-missions, the protection of the Baltic airspace represents a good example for this, which is currently performed by Poland and when they finish, Hungary will take over the task."

In relation to the bilateral co-operation, the Minister of Defence explained that his Polish colleague inquired about the activities of the Hungarian Defence Forces for the promotion of home defence among young people, while he wanted to know more about the effectiveness of the voluntary system based on the territorial defence principle, operating already in Poland as an independent military branch. The two ministers agreed in organising expert-level meetings in order to exchange experiences of the two areas.

In the press conference, Mariusz Błaszczak also stressed the effectiveness of the two countries’ thinking on common defence. As he told the press, they discussed many topics, primarily regarding the NATO-tasks, the defence capabilities of the V4-s, and the bilateral co-operation of the two countries. The Polish Minister of National Defence said thanks for the professional performance of the Hungarian soldiers at the Szczecin NATO HQ, and at the same time he announced that according to the document signed with Tibor Benkő at the present discussion, the Polish Armed Forces will be represented in the future in the NATO Center of Excellence for Military Medicine (MILMED COE) operating in Budapest. The ministers also consulted about the European Battle Group set up by the V4s, to start their operation in the second half of 2019, which was highlighted as the example of the excellent co-operation, adding that they will continue the effective collaboration in the future, too.

For the rest of the day, the two ministers viewed the exhibition on the Second World War in the MoD Military History Institute and Museum and then they laid wreaths at the Memorial of the Katyn Martyrs, and at the memorial plaque placed on the wall of the Árpád Grammar School.