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Defense Co-operation with Italy to Be Developed

MTI-Hungary Today 2023.05.11.

Italy and Hungary are strategic allies, Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky affirmed in Rome on Wednesday after bilateral talks with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, MTI reports.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, reporting to a public media correspondent in the Italian capital on the main topics of the meeting, said that Hungary is determined to develop the defense industry, which is of paramount importance in these times.

The government made a decision on the development of the defense industry and the armed forces in 2015, when it was confronted with the fact that many assets had been irresponsibly sold or distributed under previous governments, but the country has always needed a modern armed force, especially in times of war, so this development is of paramount importance,”

said Szalay-Bobrovniczky.

There is a lot of capacity in this defense development that is useful for both the Hungarian and the Italian armed forces, he added. In this context, the minister stressed the determination of the Hungarian government, and also recalled that it had previously established cooperation with Italian companies in this field, and was looking for ways to continue and develop this in the future.
At the same time, he confirmed that

Hungary would not participate in arms transfers to Ukraine and maintained its pro-peace position.

The minister thanked his Italian counterpart for the participation of Italian troops in the Hungarian Enhanced Vigilance (eVA) battle group in the framework of the reinforcement of NATO’s Eastern Wing.
During the talks, he touched upon the Western Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, whose security stability is of particular importance, not least because these countries are also routes for illegal migration and human smugglers are very active in this region.
“Hungary’s position as a frontline country in the fight against illegal migration is that problems must be dealt with where they arise,” the head of the Ministry of Defense told the public media, adding that it is also of particular importance that Hungary and Italy are also participating in missions in Africa.

Defense Capabilities Must Be Raised to Operational Level, Minister Says
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The government is expecting a protracted war in Ukraine.Continue reading

Features image: Facebook/Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky


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