“Hungarian and German defence policy thinking is extremely similar in its values and direction”, Minister of Defence Tibor Benkő said on Thursday after receiving Germany’s new Ambassador to Budapest Johannes K. Haindl for an introductory visit.

The Minister thanked the German Ambassador for his appreciative words with relation to the outstanding role played by the Hungarian Defence Force during the state of emergency. He emphasised the importance of exchanging experiences between the German and Hungarian party, which contributed greatly to the successful handling of the epidemic situation. As he explained, the duty of soldiers is to guarantee people’s safety. The recent period has clearly indicated that their skills are also needed during peacetime.

Mr. Benkő highlighted that the role of defence policy and defence industry cooperation within relations between the two countries is becoming increasingly important. The next important station in this cooperation will be the arrival of the ordered Leopard 2A4 tanks at the end of this month, which were adorned with Hungarian military insignia in Munich last week.
“The Ministry supports the further development of our defence policy and defence industry relations, and we have an interest in close consultation”, the Minister emphasised. The parties agreed that cooperation between the two countries is not only excellent within the field of military development, but also with relation to their roles in international missions.

The Minister welcomed the program of the new German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which in his opinion sets out extremely ambitious aspirations for the next six months. “This program highlights the fact that all countries, including the European Union, are facing major challenges because of the coronavirus epidemic”, he added. The parties agreed that the fields of security and defence are no exception to this. The head of the Ministry of Defence highlighted the fact that the effective handling of crises that develop on the periphery of the European Union continues to be important.

The Minister and the German Ambassador agreed that in the interests of the region’s stability, it is of priority importance to support the Western Balkans, and to continue the handling of southern challenges in Africa.

Mr. Benkő also spoke about the fact that Hungary supports Germany’s efforts with relation to developing the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). He also emphasised that in the interests of the security and defence of our community, it is vital to develop civilian and military capabilities, and to implement defence initiatives in a results-orientated manner.

At the meeting, the parties reinforced their commitment to the development of bilateral relations and to dialogue based on mutual respect.

(Ministry of Defence/MTI)