Government: Hungary participating in NATO joint tasks

After a meeting of NATO defence ministers, the defence ministry issued a statement saying that Hungary is taking its share of the alliance’s joint tasks in accordance with its commitments.

At the meeting in Brussels, the first since the alliance’s July summit in Vilnius, ministers discussed the implementation of joint deterrence, new collective defence arrangements, and reviewed ongoing operations, the ministry said on Friday, noting that Gábor Gion, the state secretary for defence strategy, attended.

On the sidelines, a letter of intent was signed on NATO’s cross-border airspace initiative on joint training and air policing.

The statement noted the presence of the Hungarian-led multinational NATO battlegroup on the eastern flank and the multinational division headquarters in Székesfehérvár set up jointly with Croatia and Slovakia.

Operations in Iraq and the Western Balkans, as well as opportunities for cooperation with the EU with a view to bolstering stability in the region were discussed in the presence of an EU representative, the statement said.

Hungary is involved at the highest levels of international alliance missions in the Western Balkans, it added, noting Major General László Sticz will take over the EUFOR ALTHEA mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina from January 2024.

Hungary constantly keeps southern challenges on NATO’s agenda, the statement said, noting that the situation around Kosovo “is tense”.

Hungary strongly backs maintaining the presence of NATO and the EU in the region, it added.

Terrorist attack against Israel

Also discussed was the terrorist attack against Israel, and Joav Gallant, the country’s defence minister, briefed allies via video link. Hungary assured Israel of its solidarity and support, the statement said.

Also, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council took place at the ministerial level for the first time. Hungary’s position is that NATO should not get involved in the war in Ukraine, according to a foreign ministry statement, adding that “we shared our concerns” about minority rights in Ukraine, insisting that cooperation must continue to be based on common values and decisions.

As we wrote a week ago, a drone protection system to protect Hungarian public organisations, details HERE.