Hungary is one of the safest countries in the world thanks to policies that focus on protecting the nation and Europe’s borders, István Simicskó, minister of Defence has said.
Following a two-day meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels, he said Hungary has also successfully maintained internal security.
In July, we revealed how Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expected Hungary to make it into the top 10 of the safest countries in the world, and it was deemed one of the safest in Europe according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the government of the United Kingdom.
A recent safety survey placed Hungary 15 out of 163 countries, and the government reinforced the protection of the borders, and urged for a more thorough vetting procedure for border crossers.
Concerted action is still needed to surmount the challenges posed by illegal migration and terrorism, which have resulted in heightened threats to Europe in the past two years, Minister Simicskó said.
According to MTI, this means augmenting NATO’s presence in all crisis areas which are sources of illegal migration and terrorism, he said. In the wake of Thursday’s decision to boost NATO’s presence in Afghanistan, Hungary will examine the possibility of fortifying its contingent of 100 troops by 10 to 15 soldiers.
He said that the current situation in Afghanistan made it vitally important to support stability there. Hungary is participating in UN, EU and NATO missions with a total staff of around 1,000. In proportion to the country’s size, this is a significant contribution to international efforts, he added.