Hungary will be the second largest troop contributing nation in the joint battle group of the Visegrád Four countries which is to be set up in 2016, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende said at a meeting of V4 defence ministers in Tomášov, Slovakia on Thursday, 23 April.

The agenda of the V4 defence ministers’ meeting included the possibilities for strengthening defence cooperation in the group and some related goals. The central topic of discussion was the schedule for establishing a 3000-strong joint battle group.

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“Hungary will contribute more than 700 troops and substantial military capabilities to the battle group which is to become part of the common defence structure of the European Union”, Minister Hende said at the meeting. He added that with this, Hungary is the second largest troop contributing nation in the battle group beside Poland. The Minister also noted that the military aspect of V4 cooperation enjoys the highest degree of support in Hungary, and our country is committed to deepening this cooperation further.

According to plans, the V4 Battle Group will be a complex combat unit, deployable at very high levels of readiness and capable of very intensive operations. It will be placed on stand-by in six-month rotations, with duties to be performed in the interest of the European Union.

Speaking about the tasks undertaken by Hungary in the joint battle group, Minister Hende said that one of its commitments, Close Air Support (CAS) – the generation of air-to-ground strike capabilities – has major significance and high costs. “Last year the government of Hungary provided financial resources for this project above the budget”, he pointed out.

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The participants of the meeting also discussed the future coordination of V4 defence procurements. In connection with this, Slovakian Defence Minister Martin Glvác expressed hope that there would be some tangible results in this matter by 2020. “As of 2020, we would like to work out common plans”, he said. Speaking about this topic, Minister Hende said that the participants of the meeting have set out the areas of development that will be of interest to all four countries in the next decade. “All four countries consider it important to modernize their military equipment and also, in a sense, to detach from obsolete Soviet military technology, which is still present in large quantities in the arsenals of V4 countries”, the Minister noted.

At a press conference held after the meeting, the Ministers answered a question from the press about the V4 countries’ approach to Russia, which may be different in the questioner’s opinion. “I am convinced that we share the same views on this matter, and I think we have already made it clear through our actions so far”, Slovakian Defence Minister Martin Glvác stated. “Hungary’s membership in NATO and the European Union is the cornerstone of the security of our country, and in this community of values we attach very great significance to cooperation with the Visegrád Four countries”, Minister Hende pointed out in his answer.

(Ministry of Defence)