Baltic region

Historic agreement between Hungary and Sweden concerning Gripen fighter jets – PHOTOS, UPDATED

An agreement has been reached with the Swedish defence minister on the joint development of the Gripen fighter jet, Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky said on Wednesday.

“Today, we had talks with the Swedish defence minister in Stockholm, and we signed an agreement we could call historic: we will work together on developing the Gripens, and on many other important bilateral issues,” he said in a video on Facebook. “The Gripens that are coming from Sweden are an iconic multifunctional combat aircraft of the Hungarian Air Forces, a defining force of Hungarian defence,” the minister said.

“Swedish-Hungarian ties, especially since Sweden’s NATO accession, have been elevated to a strategic level,” he said.

Hungary Sweden agreement concerning Gripen fighter jets
Photo: FB/Szalay-Bobrovniczky

Despite opposing views on issues such as the war in Ukraine, “we have conducted a valuable and honest discussion,” Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

In a Facebook post, the Hungarian defence minister called Hungary “the guardian of airspaces”. That is because Hungarian Gripen fighters protect the airspace of some neighbouring countries and the Baltic states.

UPDATE: Long-term and fruitful cooperation with Saab

As a committed member of NATO, Hungary has a prime interest in close strategic and defence cooperation with Saab, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said after signing a letter of intent with Saab chief executive Micael Johansson on building closer cooperation at the company’s factory in Linköping on Thursday.

The minister said Hungary as a Gripen user and R and D partner wanted “long-term and fruitful” cooperation with Saab, according to a ministry statement. “We’re delighted that Saab plans to establish an aviation industry development centre in Hungary and continue work done together with defence innovation research institute VIKI on developing virtual reality, AI and 3D technologies, focusing on printing and new materials.” Enhanced cooperation would intensify innovation opportunities for domestic SMEs and defence innovation companies, he added.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary saw Saab as a key partner in efforts by the Hungarian armed forces to upgrade its technologies and capabilities. For almost two decades, Hungary has been using Gripens to police the airspace of Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. Also, it does so for the Baltic states every three years and will perform the task for a fourth time in 2025, he said, adding that its air policing made a big contribution to the security of the Hungarian people, NATO and the EU, a foreign ministry statement said. The minister is in Brussels later on Thursday representing Hungary’s interests at the NATO defence ministerial meeting, the statement added.

Read also:

  • Czechs: a fleet of outdated aircraft safeguards Hungary’s airspace
  • How can Sweden join NATO? Orbán seals a massive arms and military industry deal

Hungarian FM Szijjártó slammed Baltic states’ “ridiculous and deceitful” actions

Szijjártó

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday slammed what he called “ridiculous and deceitful” actions by the Baltic countries when it came to the expansion of Hungary’s National Card programme, adding that “this propaganda tsunami has also found fertile ground in Brussels”.

The number of Russian citizens in Hungary is just 0.7 percent of the more than one million Russians in the European Union, Szijjártó said in response to a question at a joint press conference with his North Macedonian counterpart, according to a ministry statement.

“And in Germany — if I recall correctly — there’s 300,000,” he said. “In the Baltic countries, which were the loudest throughout the summer, there’s a total of 140,000, 20 times as many as in Hungary. And then the Baltic states launch a huge propaganda tsunami on us with the help of the European liberal media on how dangerous this is.”

Szijjártó said he had debated the matter at the last meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council where his Lithuanian counterpart had talked about a “dramatic increase in the number of Belarusian citizens travelling with a Hungarian visa”. He said the truth, however, was that the Hungarian embassy in Minsk has issued fewer visas so far this year than at this point last year.

szijjártó brussels
Photo: FB/Szijjártó

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said, Germany, Italy and Russia had “radically” increased the number of visas issued to Belarusians.

Szijjártó talks about Russian spies

“So what they’re doing is ridiculous. Ridiculous and deceitful,” Szijjártó said. “It’s typical of the current Baltic governments, so we ask that they stop with these lies. It’s clear, however, that this has found fertile ground in Brussels, because the European Commission is now asking for all kinds of details and asking all sorts of questions, but the point is that when they’re confronted with reality, they’re not that happy anymore.”

Commenting on the Ukrainian president’s request to be allowed to use Western weapons to strike deep within Russian territory, Szijjártó said such measures were all dangerous and posed a risk of escalation. He said the focus should finally be on diplomacy over weapons.

He said Hungary is the only EU and NATO member that has not and will not supply weapons to Ukraine.

Szijjártó said Hungary’s peace mission was “a constant one”, and expressed hope that political debates in Europe would soon reach a point where those who talk about peace “aren’t immediately branded Russian spies”.

Read also:

  • Baltic states launch ‘campaign of lies’ against Hungary, Orbán government says

Baltic states launch ‘campaign of lies’ against Hungary, Orbán government says

szijjártó ukraine eu Paks

“Rather than learning the facts the Baltic states have launched a campaign of lies against Hungary … over Hungary including Russian and Belorussian citizens in its National Card programme,” the foreign minister said on Facebook on Wednesday.

Péter Szijjártó said the Hungarian government’s move “does not ease strict security controls over incoming Russian and Belorussian citizens in any way.”

Szijjártó also said Péter Sztáray, state secretary at the foreign ministry, had earlier in the day informed the embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“We hope that learning the facts will end the campaign of lies,” the minister said.

Read also:

Hungary under attack, Orbán cabinet says

PM Orbán is in Kyiv, meets President Zelensky hungarian government Hungary's presidency

The “Baltic propaganda campaign” against Hungary has been “restarted”, as Baltic states accused the country of putting the security of the Schengen Area at risk by allowing Russian and Belorussian nationals to participate in its National Card programme, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Facebook on Tuesday. Furthermore, the Orbán cabinet says Manfred Weber also attacks the Hungarian government and Hungary due to their differences concerning the migration crisis.

Contrary to that “childish lie”, Russian and Belorussian nationals continue to need visas to enter the Schengen Area and can obtain residence permits only through lawful procedures, Péter Szijjártó said.

Meanwhile, issuing residence permits and similar procedures are national competencies, so “Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian authorities have similar rights,” he added. “It would be much better if my colleagues in Baltic countries informed their citizens correctly rather than launching new smear campaigns,” he said.

Weber launches ‘hypocritical attack’ on Hungary, government believes

A recent move by Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, was “nothing but another hypocritical attack on Hungary by the pro-war liberal European elite,” Zoltán Kovács, the government’s international spokesman said on platform X on Tuesday.

“Yet again, it is Manfred Weber who is attacking the Hungarian government, all the while his government and its political allies have poured millions of illegal migrants into Europe, exposing the continent’s states and the people of Europe to a grave threat to national and public security,” Kovács said.

“This latest attack from Brussels is absurd and hypocritical because it is precisely the Brussels institutions and the

EPP, in alliance with the liberal forces, that are doing everything in their power to ensure that Hungary is forced to dismantle its strict border protection and asylum system, allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into the country and thus into the European Union,” he said.

“The Hungarian immigration regime is the strictest in the European Union. Guest workers are only allowed entry under a regulated framework, which includes a national security check, and they can stay for a limited period solely for employment purposes,” he said.

Hungary will continue to protect its southern borders and maintain the strictest immigration regime in Europe, Kovács added.

Read also:

  • Security Advisor: no dangerous people smugglers, only drivers were released by Hungarian government – Read more HERE
  • Hungarian government owes Brussels EUR 240 million in fines, given 45 days to act

Six EU members to boycott Hungary’s EU presidency due to PM Orbán’s Moscow journey

PM Orbán takes over EU's rotating presidency (2)

Poland, the Baltic states and the Scandinavian EU member states will boycott Hungary’s EU presidency because the prime minister visited Moscow. Orbán met Putin last Friday to talk about the possible end of the war in Ukraine. After the visit, Russian missiles hit and destroyed a Ukrainian hospital treating children with cancer.

Euractiv said Poland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania decided to boycott Hungary’s EU presidency and will not send ministers to the Budapest summits. The first such summit will be concerning environmental issues. We wrote about that HERE.

Those countries will send lower-ranked officials to the informal meetings in Budapest.

The Financial Times wrote that the EU’s legal service found Orbán’s visit to Moscow contradictory to the EU’s fundamental treaties.

viktor orbán in moscow putin
Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia on 5 July 2024. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher

Fidesz MEP: Brussels reactions to Orban’s ‘peace mission’ critical

Reactions in Brussels to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “peace mission” have been “critical, offensive and even hysterical” by some people, ruling Fidesz MEP Tamas Deutsch said on Friday. He told public radio that one of the reasons was that the majority of European leaders were pro-war and wanted to send increasing amounts of weapons and money to Ukraine.

The other reason was that their pro-war position was based on the assumption that the only way to peace is war, he added.

“The Hungarian prime minister’s mission has refuted and destroyed that position,” he said.

Orbán’s peace mission “has shown that active diplomatic steps can be made” to promote peace, Deutsch said. He expressed hope that the peace mission would direct the large powers towards peace.

PM Orbán NATO task is not to win wars
Peace mission in Washington: Trump after Biden. Source: FB/Orbán
Orbán says President Trump will end the war in Ukraine
Photo: FB/Orbán

He also said that the European Parliament elections showed that a sovereigntist, patriotic trend was under way in the world.

The Fidesz MEP said that the formation of the Patriots for Europe group in the EP demonstrated a “victory at the European level”, noting that it was the third strongest formation in the EP.

Trump’s victory patriotic turn in world politics

In response to a question, he said there was a realistic chance that Donald Trump would win in the US, and this would bring about a sovereigntist, patriotic turn in world politics, in turn bringing an end to the Ukraine war closer.

He said the Patriots for Europe group could further strengthen in the upcoming period, and added that what was even more important was that serious and effective strategic cooperation could develop with the group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) led by Giorgia Meloni, resulting in the second largest force in the EP.

He said chances were good for patriots to win in the Czech Republic and Austria, and within six months or a year a new parliamentary election might be held in France, where Marine Le Pen could come out as a governing force.

He said right wing progress could develop also in the European Council. It was uncertain whether Ursula von der Leyen would get the necessary support to head the European Commission again, and there could be certainly a reshuffle among the commissioners, he added.

Read also:

  • PM Orbán: NATO’s task is not to win wars – Read more HERE

The cultural institute of this European country to close in Budapest

The cultural institute of this European country to close in Budapest

Estonia will close down its cultural institute in Budapest at the end of February, the institute said in a statement on Tuesday.

The decision was made by the Estonian Institute in Tallinn, of which the Budapest institute is a subsidiary, for structural reasons, the statement said.

The Estonian Institute in Budapest was opened on February 27, 1998, and has hosted many events presenting Estonian culture to Hungarian audiences both in Budapest and other Hungarian cities.

Also, the institute has provided information about Estonia and promoted the teaching of the Estonian language in Hungary.

The institute’s library will be transferred to the Finno-Ugric Department at ELTE university, while its archives will be taken over by the Estonian embassy in Budapest.

Read also:

  • Hungarian dog handlers train in Lithuania – Read more HERE
  • Agricultural chambers of V4, Latvia and Lithuania to hold joint demonstration on this week

Agricultural chambers of V4, Latvia and Lithuania to hold joint demonstration on this week

demonstration hungary agricultural

The agricultural chambers of the four Visegrad Group countries will organise a demonstration together with their Latvian and Lithuanian peers on Feb 22 to call the public’s attention to their situation caused in large part by the unrestricted inflow of Ukrainian grain and food products, the head of the National Agricultural Chamber (NAK) said on Monday.

The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has gone nowhere over the past years and European farmers have been labelled “climate criminals”, with the term officially codified in community law, Balázs Győrffy told public news channel M1. He called the European Green Deal, a set of policy initiatives proposed by the European Commission, “an unprofessional and unfounded diktat”, adding that “in light of the recent farmer demonstrations, decision-makers are now backpedaling” which Győrffy said he believed “could be because of the upcoming EP elections”.

“The unlimited inflow of grain and food products, mainly poultry, egg and honey, from Ukraine makes the situation worse by creating uneven competition for European farmers and consumers also because they are not subject to strict EU regulations,” said Győrffy.

Speaking to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, Győrffy said “farmers across Europe are in an uproar and have lost their patience”.

“What we can see is that the elite in Brussels absolutely ignores our opinion and does not listen to our problems”.

As we wrote earlier, Hungarian farmers protested against unlimited Ukrainian agricultural imports – details and PHOTOS

Also we wrote before, that GMO-contaminated Ukrainian seed was seized in Hungary, details HERE.

Hungary becomes member of 8 European states’ hydrogen alliance including Ukraine

Hydrogen bus energy alliance

Representatives of nine central and eastern European and Baltic states, Hungary among them, signed the cooperation agreement of the 3 Seas Hydrogen Council in Paris on Thursday, aiming to develop the region’s hydrogen sector.

Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine signed the agreement at the sector’s largest conference, Hyvolution, the Hungarian Hydrogen Technology Association said.

The association said the aim was to explore and use opportunities to speed up the transition to hydrogen as an energy resource, aiding the fulfilment of zero-emissions goals.

Read also:

  • Orbán cabinet gets rid of foreign competitors in this skyrocketing economy branch – Read more HERE
  • Energy minister Lantos: Future of Hungarian industry is hydrogen – Details in THIS article

Association head Istvan Lepsenyi said signatories would work to ensure fair distribution of EU funding in central and eastern Europe. He said he hoped the agreement would support regional funding, cooperation in the sector and the development of competitive green energy.

Hungarian dog handlers train in Lithuania

Hungarian dog handlers NATO

NATO published video of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) dogs and their handlers from across the Alliance training together in Lithuania as part of exercise Engineer Thunder 23. Footage includes shots of a Hungarian dog searching a stadium and interview with a handler from the Hungarian Army.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) dog handlers from across Allied countries gathered in Lithuania to carry out practical training together as part of exercise Engineer Thunder 23.

The dogs were presented with challenging scenarios to test their sense of sight and smell. Military working dogs are an indispensable part of NATO’s forces, playing crucial roles in Allied military police, engineer and special operations units.

Organised and hosted by the Lithuanian Army’s Colonel Juozas Vitkus Engineering Battalion, the multinational exercise Engineer Thunder 23 featured the participation of more than 1,000 troops from 11 NATO Allies.

Click HERE to download the b-roll. Footage includes shots of dog handlers from Hungary, Lithuania, and Belgium acting out training scenarios with their dogs. Footage also includes interviews with the dog handlers. Please note that you will have to register and log onto NATO’s multimedia portal to download the video.

Read also:

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Important change concerning a Budapest flight announced

Air Baltic flight travel Hungary

According to Air Baltic, they will operate their Riga-Budapest flight even in the winter season starting in October 2023.

The winter schedule will start in end-October, but the Budapest-Riga flight will remain to connect the two capitals twice a week. The planes will continue to commute between Latvia and Hungary on Monday and Thursday, the airline said in a statement sent to airportal.hu.

Air Baltic reopened the route in the summer schedule and will fly between Riga and Budapest from 27 March. Even though they do not know the demand for the connection, they decided to operate it even during the winter season twice a week. In the summer schedule, the flight will commute thrice every week, Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

Before, the airlines calculated a seasonal destination with Budapest. Thus, planes were reachable in their booking system only for the summer. From now on, you can book flights even for the winter season.

Air Baltic serves passengers with more than 70 destinations from the Latvian capital. Furthermore, they operate flights from Tallinn (Estonia), Vilnius (Lithuania), and Tampere (Finland). They provide the best connection between the Baltic region and the rest of the world, airportal.hu stated.

Nuclear bomber Hungary
Read alsoLeaked: Nuclear bomber made weird manoeuvres in Hungarian airspace!

What will the Russians say? Hungarian military to start drills in Tallinn next week

Hungary soldier training military

But that is not the Tallinn you would first think. The Hungarian Armed Forces are to start military drills from Monday until Thursday in some Szolnok districts, including Tallinn. As a result, residents of the region should prepare for increased sound effects in that area.

Tallinn, a district of Szolnok

The HDF 34th Bercsényi László Special Forces Battalion will carry out training tasks between Monday and Thursday in Szolnok. The exercises are scheduled between 8 AM and 4 PM in Szolnok’s Tallinn district and the neighbourhood of Besenyszögi street. The drills will cause increased sound effects, though the military said they would follow all relevant laws to spare the citizens living in that area, index.hu wrote.

And why is a district in Szolnok named after Tallinn? That is probably a heritage of the Soviet occupation of Hungary. Since there was a military base in Szolnok even in the Socialist era, it is imaginable that Soviet soldiers were housed in the city’s Tallinn district. And why Tallinn? Maybe because it was part of the Soviet Union back then or because there were a lot of Estonian soldiers serving in Hungary those days.

Defence minister: Honest dialogue important with neighbouring countries

It is important that beyond international organisations, neighbouring countries also maintain close and honest dialogue with each other, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said after talks with his Slovenian counterpart of Friday. Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that he was in agreement with Marjan Sarec about the security of the western Balkans having special significance, with no European security existing without it. They also both condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine and expressed support from the country’s territorial integrity and independence.

“In an era of dangers”, Hungary must face not only a war in the neighbouring country but also the pressure of migration from the south, he said. As a result, the sides at the talks reviewed issues concerning the stability of the region and migration, he added. Concerning the stability of the western Balkans, he said Slovenian and Hungarian soldiers are participating in missions, with Hungary being one of the largest participants in KFOR and also represented in the EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Concerning the Russia-Ukraine war, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary was on the side of peace and wanted to avoid getting dragged into the war, and he said NATO should be encouraged to make every effort to avoid escalation.

Respected members of NATO

Both countries are dedicated and respected members of NATO, making every effort to fulfil NATO obligations in proportion to their abilities and even beyond, he said. Szalay-Bobrovniczky said he had informed his Slovenian colleague about the process of strengthening Hungary’s military force, with 2 percent of the country’s GDP being spent in this undertaking. To meet the demands of generation change encouraged by NATO, Hungary’s is implementing a scheme to appoint younger officers in leading positions, he added. Hungary is proud that together with Italy, it has been participating in Slovenian airspace policing for years, he said.

Sarec said that the talks focused on ways to further strengthen already excellent cooperation between the two countries, in the areas of defence and the military. Training will remain a priority for aviation control and pilots, as well as military exercises, he said. Cooperation was increased last year in the area of special operations, and it will be further enhanced in military logistics, he added. He qualified the defence industry strategy presented by Szalay-Bobrovniczky as “very good”. Slovenia is also preparing a new defence strategy and increasing its defence spending, he added.

hungary army
Read alsoNATO will kick out Hungary for sacking ‘NATO friend officers’ from the Hungarian military?

Hungary’s position on the latest CEBR economic ranking revealed

Budapest Hungary people citizen street competitiveness eu

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), one of the most prestigious London-based economic consultancies, publishes its World Economic League Table (WELT) forecasts at the end of each year on the ranking of the world’s economies.

The annual report ranks the countries based on their projected economic performance, making predictions for the next 15 years. The report projects that Hungary’s ranking position will not change in the next 15 years.

The position of Hungary

According to CEBR’s calculations, the Hungarian economy will end this year in 58th place, a position that is unlikely to change in the next 15 years, until 2037.

The report finds that real GDP showed a relatively strong increase over the year, however, several economic challenges affected the Hungarian economy negatively. The recent data shows that the country experienced a contraction of 1.3 percent when measured in US dollars in 2022, which can be attributed to the “forint’s depreciation against the dollar, amounting to around 19 percent this year.”

In addition to this economic downturn, Hungary has also struggled with high levels of inflation in 2022.

Only the Baltic countries and the Czech Republic have a higher inflation rate in the European Union. Inflation has been stronger than the annual average in the latter months of the year, being in excess of 20.0 percent across September, October, and November,

the experts write.

food store spar price inflation in hungary
Read alsoInflation in Hungary to be even higher in 2023: it is slowing but not stopping

If the forecast is accurate, the Hungarian economy will experience an average annual growth rate of 2.5 percent over the 15-year period from 2022 to 2037. This would result in a significant increase in the size of the Hungarian economy, with the nominal GDP, calculated in US dollars at current exchange rates, rising from an expected USD 168 billion in 2022 to USD 391 billion by 2037.

It is also interesting to note that Hungary’s economy has deteriorated compared to previous years, but not by that much. According to last year’s report, Hungary would be ranked 56th this year. This means it has only fallen 2 places compared to last year’s expectations.

Which countries are at the top?

As novekedes.hu wrote, based on the report, the second-placed China will not overtake the first-placed USA in the economic ranking until 2036 at the earliest. As the news portal says,

The institute now predicts that China will become the world’s largest economy by 2036, just one year before the end of the forecast period to 2037, pushing the United States down to second place.

Next year, the following countries are likely to dominate the top 5:

  1. USA
  2. China
  3. Germany
  4. Japan
  5. India

PHOTOS: Hungarians win silver, bronze at WorldSkills Competition 2022

Worldskills Hungary

Hungarian Márton Offner won second prize at the WorldSkills finals in Germany in the water, gas and heating installation competition, and landscapers Péter Bokor and Péter Hutter won the bronze medal at the related WorldSkills competition in Tallinn, the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce (MKIK) said on Tuesday.

Web designer Botond Sisak also won a WorldSkills silver medal, MKIK said. Besides the prizes, the Hungarian delegation has also received 11 excellence medals, it said.

After the original venue, Shanghai, cancelled the competition due to the pandemic situation in China, the event was held in 26 cities of 15 countries. Fully 1,015 people competed from 57 countries, MKIK said. Hungary has entered 27 young people competing in 10 countries in 23 areas, it said.

robocup
Read alsoHungarian teams bag wins at world robotics championship

Here are some photos of Márton Offner:

 

 

Bálint Czimmer:

 

 

 

loci_oliver_sarajevo_marathon
Read alsoThis 10-year-old Hungarian boy ran the Sarajevo marathon! – PHOTOS

Latvian Defence Minister calls Hungary a traitor, Hungarian counterpart reacts

artis pabriks latvian defence minister

In an interview a few days ago, the Latvian Defence Minister described Hungary’s refusal to help Ukraine as a betrayal. The Hungarian defence minister disagrees, and expressed his indignation on social media.

“I refuse to allow anyone to condemn or threaten Hungary. We have the right to represent our national interest, peace!”, wrote Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his official Facebook page the other day, as a reaction to the Latvian Defence Minister’s statement.

Latvian Defence Minister: Hungary betrays Ukraine

Artis Pabriks, Latvia’s Defence Minister, recently gave an interview to Radio Free Europe’s Russian-language Current Time programme, in which he sharply criticised Bulgaria and Hungary for refusing to provide military aid to Ukraine, Index reports.

“The positions of Bulgaria and Hungary on the denial of military assistance to Ukraine are incomprehensible and border on treason,” the Latvian defence minister said. In the interview, Artis Pabriks also said that Ukraine is fighting not only for itself, but also for Europe, democracy and human rights. If someone does not understand this, it means that they are against the interests of Ukraine and Latvia.

If someone is a member of the European Union and NATO and goes against the interests of my country, what else is it but treason? the Defence Minister added.

The Hungarian Defence Minister’s reaction

The Hungarian Defence Minister expressed his outrage on social media after the statement of his Latvian colleague. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky flatly refused to let anyone condemn or threaten Hungary. “I respectfully recommend my colleague Artis Pabriks to look up at the sky instead. The Hungarian Air Force is responsible for the air policing of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in the NATO bloc,” said the Hungarian Defence Minister on his official Facebook page.

Hungarian Defence Forces above the Baltic airspace

As we reported, four Gripen fighter jets of the Hungarian Defence Forces will guard the Baltic airspace with a total of fifty Hungarian soldiers from 1 August to the end of November. The joint permanent mission of NATO member states has the dual aim of increasing the sense of security of the people living in the countries of the region (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and of improving the cooperation capabilities of allied and partner forces, Index writes.

PM Viktor Orbán in Prague
Read alsoGrowing tension: PM Orbán may veto an important EU decision

Hungarian national team coach Rossi assessed the EURO 2024 qualification draw

rossi

Hungary has been drawn in a five-team qualifying group for the 2024 European Championship, with four opponents exclusively from Central and Eastern Europe.

According to MLSZ, Marco Rossi’s squad will seek positive results against Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Lithuania as they aim to reach their third successive European Championship finals, due to take place in Germany.

Hungary will have good memories of recent matches against Serbia and Bulgaria, the former suffering at the hands of striker Norbert Könyves in Belgrade in 2019 and the latter succumbing in Sofia in 2020 during Hungary’s successful journey to a memorable Euro 2020 tournament.

“It could have been a more difficult group, but naturally I could have imagined an easier one too”, Marco Rossi admitted after the draw in Frankfurt.

“No one should be complacent just because we were drawn from the pot of top seeds. Serbia are ahead of us in the world rankings and have qualified for the World Cup, while we know Bulgaria and Montenegro from recent meetings and we can’t judge them on those results, because a lot can change in 2-3 years in today’s football. Difficult matches await us; we’ll need to take each match as they come and get the best out of ourselves in every game in order to be successful”.

Hungary vs Italy UEFA Nations League
Read alsoUEFA NL: Hungary finished in second place, ahead of Germany and England – PHOTOS

Hungarian Gripens scrambled 6 times to intercept Russian aircraft in Baltics

gripen hungary

Hungarian Gripen fighter jets policing Baltic airspace as part of a NATO mission were scrambled six times to intercept Russian military planes in the past two months, the commander of the Baltic Air Policing mission (BAP) said at the Siauliai airbase in Lithuania on Wednesday.

The Hungarian Gripens also performed 36 fast takeoffs in training exercises and other training duties during the period of their mission, Attila Ványik, the mission’s first Hungarian chief, told a press conference.

He noted that the current mission involving 4 Gripens and 77 troops serving as part of the Quick Reaction Alert protocol with Czech support is Hungary’s third policing mission in the Baltic region, following missions in 2015 and 2019. The jets must intercept an unidentified aircraft within 15 minutes of receiving an alert, he added.

He noted that an alert for the Gripens had to be called in all six instances owing to the appearance of unidentified Russian planes, fighter jets, military transport planes and reconnaissance planes that entered international airspace around the Baltic airspace without submitting a flight-plan. These planes also failed to establish radio contact with air traffic control and had turned off their transponders, Ványik said.

Nándor Kilián, commander of the Hungarian Air Force, told MTI that unidentified Russian planes often used the narrow Baltic Sea corridor of the St Petersburg-Kaliningrad route which qualifies as international airspace.

He noted that since the Russian occupation of the Crimea in 2014, BAP had expanded the number of army bases for NATO fighter planes policing Baltic airspace to three. Besides Siauliai, there are bases in Lithuania and Estonia, he said.

anna lührmann
Read alsoGermany supports Hungary losing its veto in the European Union

NATO would not be as strong without Hungary’s military, says Minister Szijjártó

baltic hungarian air force

NATO would not be as strong without Hungary’s military, the foreign minister said at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania on Tuesday, adding that Hungarian soldiers participating in the Baltic air policing mission also helped to ensure Hungarian security.

The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó saying that the Russian exclave in Kaliningrad was one of the most heavily militarized areas in Europe. Geographically, the Baltics are perhaps the most complicated area to protect within NATO, he added.

Szijjártó thanked Hungarian soldiers for their duty and composure, stating that their task represented the most difficult mission of the Hungarian armed forces under the current circumstances of war.

As well as bearing great responsibility for NATO and Hungarian security, their most important duty is to prevent a direct conflict between NATO and Russia, he said.

“We’d like peace to prevail, but for the time being this is not the military situation, and an increasingly severe war situation looks apparent. What’s most important is to prevent the escalation of the conflict,” he added.

“A country cannot be strong without strong defence, and that includes a strong air force within the armed forces. So we’re providing all the resources possible to guarantee the sustained strength of the Hungarian armed forces within NATO…” Szijjártó said.

“We’re proud that we Hungarians can also contribute to making NATO the strongest military alliance in the world,” he added.

“We can rightfully say that without Hungary, its army and air force, NATO would not be as strong as it is,” he said.

Hungarian soldiers, he added, may return to the Baltics in 18 months or two years’ time because it was likely that the importance of the mission would only increase in the upcoming period.

Hungarian Defence Forces
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