NATO command centre to boost Hungary’s security, says defence minister

Budapest, October 9 (MTI) – The new NATO force integration unit (NFIU) to be built in Szekesfehervar, in central Hungary, will boost Hungary’s security without endangering anyone, Defence Minister Istvan Simicsko said.

On Thursday, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO would set up new NATO force integration units in Slovakia and Hungary to complement the six existing units in eastern Europe.

Simicsko said in a statement that the NFIU in Szekesfehervar will be used for international military exercises and training in times of peace, and for coordinating NATO troops arriving in Hungary during times of crisis. The minister said the NFIU will strengthen NATO’s collective defence and will also fill an important void in the alliance’s defence, as Hungary has not had a NATO command centre since its accession in 1999.

In a report to the Szekesfehervar mayor’s office, the defence ministry noted that at last year’s NATO summit in Wales, several eastern member states requested that the alliance do more to increase the security of those countries, after which NATO came up with the concept of forward command posts.

The ministry said half of the 40-member unit at the command post will be made up of Hungarian troops with soldiers from other NATO member states making up the other half.

On another subject, the defence ministry quoted Simicsko as saying at Thursday’s meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels that the military alliance is monitoring the migrant crisis and is prepared to help in managing its causes.

Simicsko on Thursday held talks with Stoltenberg along with his German, Lithuanian, Romanian, Slovak, Polish and Czech counterparts.

The ministry said the ministers of the V4 countries reassured Simicsko of their support for Hungary in handling the migrant crisis, and Lithuania’s minister thanked him for Hungary’s role in patrolling Baltic airspace.

Related article:
NATO TO SET UP NEW HEADQUARTERS OFFICE IN HUNGARY, SAYS STOLTENBERG 

Photo: reportervirtual.ro

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters