Hungary performing well in NATO, says defence minister

Brussels, June 25 (MTI) – The performance of Hungary within NATO is “notably good”, Defence Minister Csaba Hende said after a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.

The minister said the meeting, held “half way” between last year’s Wales summit and next year’s meeting in Warsaw, was aimed at assessing the implementation of the declaration adopted in Wales. He said the alliance’s security environment was determined by challenges from the Middle East and southern Europe, all of which NATO needs to be prepared for.

Hende noted that Hungary increased its defence spending by over 8 percent for 2015 and is aiming for an increase of 22 percent next year. He said Hungary was a significant contributer to NATO operations and that Hungary is the first European NATO member state to send troops to the Baltic states for an extended period of time.

The minister said NATO was “on the right path” and that it had drawn lessons from the conflict in Ukraine.