On 10 December, President of the Republic János Áder paid a visit to the KFOR Pristina Headquarters and the KFOR Contingent of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The Hungarian President of the Republic thanked the Hungarian soldiers for their service, and wished them an eventless and peaceful time for the upcoming Christmas period.

At the beginning of his visit to Kosovo, President of the Republic János Áder, Defence Minister Tibor Benkő, Hungarian Ambassador to Kosovo László Márkusz, Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces Brigadier General Ferenc Korom and his deputy Brigadier General Gábor Böröndi were received by KFOR’s Italian commander. As part of an account rendered at the headquarters of the mission in which 28 nations participate, Major General Michele Risi introduced the country’s present security situation and KFOR’s current responsibilities.

After the meeting, members of the Hungarian delegation visited the Novo Selo camp where at present the 21st KFOR Contingent of the Hungarian Defence Forces is serving. At the ceremonial staff meeting of the tactical reserve battalion serving directly under KFOR Tactical Control, in his welcome speech, Defence Minister Tibor Benkő thanked President of the Republic János Áder for the fact that in continuation of his earlier visits to mission territories (Afghanistan and the Baltic States), he is now paying a visit to Kosovo. He also thanked those serving in KFOR for the fact that Hungarian soldiers are helping the local people by serving peace and security. He added that it is also a purpose of the visit – as a little surprise with the advent of the year-end holidays – to bring those serving here some Hungarian flavours, in the form of Hungarian dishes and desserts. In his speech, he underlined that “we count on you, on the one hand in your work here, and on the other when you come back home as the recently launched Defence and Armed Forces Development Programme offers great opportunities to all members of the military”.

Mr Benkő said these opportunities lie not only in the newly commissioned technical equipment and much-awaited technical equipment yet to be delivered, but also in care for the military personnel. “I would like to inform you that the government continues to make every effort also today to ensure that the career model system that we started should provide you with remuneration that is in line with the latest supply and demand situation,” he said.

In his ceremonial address, President of the Republic János Áder drew attention to the importance of the service of soldiers abroad, recognising their self-sacrificing work. He said “your service here is fundamentally different from other jobs completed abroad in one respect. The difference is that you are accomplishing a mission here. This is what lends dignity to every routine task, every kilometre you complete, every disciplined moment, every hour completed in service in harsh circumstances.” He also highlighted that the military presence in Kosovo is meaningful and significant also today. It helps to prevent the development of animosities, to enforce the ceasefire, to ensure a peaceful life for civilians, and to be ready to manage any crisis that might re-emerge. It is a major achievement that all the region’s players that are parties to the underlying dispute accept this presence and look upon it as a pledge of security. In conclusion, he stressed that with the approaching Christmas holidays and the New Year, the whole world celebrates peace or prays for the peace they covet which could hardly exist without the work of Hungarian soldiers.

At the ceremonial staff meeting, in memory of the visit and in order to mark the approaching holidays, the visitors handed over the Christmas presents with which the Hungarian Defence Forces seek to make service abroad more pleasant. In addition to these tokens of kindness, the surprise presents which were sent to Kosovo by the loved ones and relatives of Hungarian soldiers who spend the holidays protecting peace away from their families were placed under a tree decorated for the occasion.

(MTI)