Hungary has sworn in 154 new soldiers at an oath-taking ceremony in Szentendre, it has been announced.
"Nothing can substitute for or replace the nation states, including Hungary, nothing but our native land can give us a home," István Simicskó, minister of Defense, said at the oath-taking ceremony held in Szentendre after the completion of the basic training of the contingent of soldiers contracted for a fixed term.
According to MTI, the minister said that, in the wake of Brexit and in light of the flow of migration, the answer of the leaders of the European Union was even more Europe and even less nation state, combined with ever fewer nation state decisions and powers, despite the fact that nothing can substitute for or replace the nation states.
He also added that Christian values are disappearing in Europe, and we must therefore also demonstrate and stand up for Christian values.
Minister Simicskó said that as long as there are young people who undertake to defend the motherland by even sacrificing their lives, there is Hungary and the Hungarian people have a future. He pointed out that we are living today in cosmopolitan globalization where the poor culture of lack of respect, hatred, discrediting and incitement is spreading ever faster. Those taking their oaths now, however, demonstrate that there are young people who like order, who take an oath to maintain security, who perceive values in the right light, and who profess the culture of respect.
He stressed that Hungarian soldiers have fulfilled their duties to the highest standards also in the protection of our southern borders in the past eighteen months to two years. The minister further reiterated that the development of the Hungarian defense forces had begun, the details of which are laid down in the Zrínyi 2026 Programme.
The minister also said that the government recently decided to raise the defense budget by 0.15 percent of GDP instead of 0.1 percent, and thanks to this, the measures that seek to enhance the appreciation of soldiers can be continued with increased intensity. He added that the time for the modernization of military equipment will also come, indicating that the first small steps in this department are already perceivable.