“Hungary will definitely be fulfilling its undertaking to increase defence spending to two percent of GDP by 2024. This will be achieved sooner with relation to the military development programme”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian reporters following the two-day NATO summit it Brussels.

Mr. Szijjártó said Hungary is prepared to debate the American proposal on increasing defence spending to 2 percent of GDP earlier than the originally set deadline.

“The American suggestion of 4 percent defence spending is currently unrealistic from Hungary’s perspective. We first wish to reach the originally determined 2 percent ratio, and only after that is it worth thinking about what further steps may be justified or possible in the interests of increasing our contribution”, he added.

According to the Minister, a heated debate developed during the meeting with relation to how fair is the distribution of costs relating to defence expenditure, and on to what extent the 2024 deadline by which member states must increase their defence spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) should be shortened.

“The European allies made it clear that Europe has been spending 33 billion dollars more on defence spending since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. In the upcoming months the debate will be centred on how to shorten the 2024 deadline”, he added.

Mr. Szijjártó noted that during the debate on defence expenditure the issue of solidarity within NATO was also discussed, with relation to which the question was raised: is there a single unit of measurement or several units for solidarity relating to migration?

The Minister stressed that despite the heated debated, the military organisation’s greatest strength lies in its unity. The smallest degradation of this unity could have a major effect on individual member states and on international security in general, he said, adding that the possibility of the number of member states decreasing or of the United States exiting the alliance did not arise at the meeting.

With relation to the session to evaluate reform processes in Georgia and Ukraine, Mr. Szijjártó said that although the majority of member states had assured both Georgia and Ukraine of their support for their respective Euro-Atlantic aspirations, no decision was made on the launching of a membership action plan.

According to the Minister, Hungary made it clear that the fundamental requirement for unified political and military action in Eastern Europe is the respecting of minority rights. As he stressed, the violation of minority rights is also capable of having a negative effect on the integrity of the NATO alliance. Accordingly, Hungary’s argument with relation to Ukraine is that until Ukraine fulfils its obligations with relation to NATO, which include respecting and continuously expanding minority rights, it cannot support the further advancement of the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration process.

Mr. Szijjártó declared that Hungary’s standpoint corresponds to the recommendation of the Venice Commission, according to which the fact that Ukraine’s new Education Act is restricting previously afforded minority rights is at odds with all kinds of international regulations.

“Therefore, this is not just a Hungarian demand, it is an argument concerning international law”, he underlined.

“The prerequisite for the Hungarian support of any and all integration aspirations on the part of Ukraine is that the temporary period for the implementation of Article 7 of the Act is extended to 2023, private schools are exempted from the new regulations, and consultations are held with the Hungarian minority”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade emphasised.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)