NATO conference in Budapest – House Speaker calls for solidarity with threatened NATO states

Budapest, November 27 (MTI) – NATO is united in strengthening solidarity among its members despite differences in their views on security policy and geo-strategies, Speaker of Parliament Laszlo Kover said on Friday.

Addressing a NATO conference in Budapest, Kover said solidarity must be extended to NATO member states that feel a direct danger. This could mean military threats in the Baltic states, Poland and other countries or the threats of terrorism and radicalism spreading in regions further away, he added. These latter dangers threaten southern and central and eastern European allies, among them Hungary, he said. For these countries the challenges of the influx of refugees handled without international cooperation are immense, he added.

This problem can only be handled effectively at the root: help must be extended to North Africa and the Middle East to restore functionality in some states.

Although there are no direct military tasks for NATO at the moment, it must support stability in these regions.

Infiltrating jihadists who have taken advantage of the migration flow are posing serious security risks, as seen in the Paris attacks.

“We feel solidarity with and stand by France as an ally in this difficult situation,” the House speaker said.

This crisis, which has political, economic and informational components beyond the military, requires a comprehensive approach, Kover said. To meet these needs special attention must be paid to building up concepts, capabilities and adaptation skills, he said.

Kover said Hungary has been an ardent supporter of Montenegro’s NATO membership from the start as the country’s accession could strengthen the alliance’s security and the western Balkan region’s stability at the same time. It could also serve as an inspiration for other aspiring countries.

The alliance has been shifting its focus on collective protection after an emphasis given to cooperative security and crisis management earlier, Kover said.

Photo: MTI

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