Hungary hosts international military exercise aimed at managing migrant crisis

Hungary has been selected to host the Central European Defence Cooperation’s international military exercise aimed at managing the migrant crisis.

Speaking to MTI on Thursday, Defence Minister Tibor Benkő said illegal migration continues to be one of the biggest threats facing Europe. This is proven by the number of countries taking part in the Cooperative Security 19 (COOPSEC19) exercise, he said.

The exercise is being attended by some 500 military and law enforcement officers from Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Poland. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia have delegated observers.

The event’s final day, Thursday, will be attended by the defence ministers and chiefs of staff of the participating nations.

“The Hungarian government’s position on migration is unchanged,” Benkő said. “The problems that make people leave their homelands should be dealt with where they arise.”

The minister noted that some 2,000 Hungarian soldiers take part in international peacekeeping missions each year with a view to preventing people from having to flee their homelands.

“Our job is to preserve the values, customs, traditions and culture established by our forebears,” he said.

Source: MTI