At present, Hungary is not planning to reinforce the Hungarian military contingent serving with KFOR in Kosovo because its capacities have been raised significantly, by around 150 this year, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende stated on Friday, when he met the Hungarian soldiers serving with the mission at the Pristina headquarters of the NATO-led peacekeeping force.

“The stability of the Western Balkans is in Hungary’s national interest, so we have been contributing significant forces – around 500 troops – to the KFOR international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and around 150 troops to Operation EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Hungarian troops are held in high esteem everywhere”, the Minister emphasized following the staff meeting in reply to a question of Hungarian News Agency MTI.

As he said, following the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the forces withdrawn from there were redeployed to reinforce the Hungarian military contingent in KFOR, and the commander of KFOR also praised the Hungarian soldiers’ high professional standards.

Minister Hende added that the Hungarian contingent is the fifth largest one in KFOR, and we represent the third largest force in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

He went on saying that “this shows well the importance Hungary attaches to the region, because the lack of peace and security in the Balkans would threaten with a flow of refugees and illegal immigrants, and strengthening organized crime.”

Hungary, as a member of NATO and the European Union, is cooperating with its allies in international peacekeeping missions too, while the community’s agenda gives priority to reducing the troop levels, Minister Hende emphasized.

At the same time, Hungary contributes peacekeepers to NATO-, EU- and UN-led peacekeeping missions in ten countries around the world. “This helps us assert our interests and strengthen our positions in the world and the international organizations”, the Minister stressed.

Between November 14 and 16, the Minister traveled to Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina to visit Hungarian troops serving with international peacekeeping missions in the Western Balkans.

On Friday, the Italian commander of KFOR, Maj.-Gen. Francesco Paolo Figliuolo received the Hungarian Minister at the KFOR Headquarters in Pristina. Afterwards, Minister Hende met the Hungarian troops at a staff meeting.

Among others, he informed the personnel about the planned introduction of the military career path model and the current plans for the development of the armed forces, and then went to Camp Slim Lines, which is home to the Hungarian soldiers.

More than 700 Hungarian troops are deployed in various peacekeeping missions around the world. More than 500 of them are serving with the NATO-led KFOR in Kosovo, and 150 of them with the EU-led Operation EUFOR Althea in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The tasks of both international missions include the following: to maintain the ceasefire, disband irregular forces, create a safe and secure environment, deliver humanitarian aid, conduct demining and border control and ensure freedom of movement.

According to plans, on Saturday, Minister Hende continues his programme with visiting Hungarian troops stationed in Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo, and on Sunday he travels to Bosnia-Herzegovina where he visits the Hungarian soldiers in Camp Butmir.

(MTI)