Following a meeting with General Claudio Graziano, Chairman of the EU Military Committee (CEUMC), in Budapest, army chief Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said the Hungarian military is committed to carrying out its duties as an ally within the European Union and NATO.
According to MTI, Ruszin-Szendi noted Hungary’s participation in four foreign EU military missions. Those include the 169-strong mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Western Balkans, the 20-strong contingent providing consulting and training duties in Mali, and Hungarian soldiers serving in Georgia and in the Mediterranean on migration-related missions, he said. From the autumn, Hungary will join the EU’s rapid reaction force.
Graziano told the press conference that in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the military situation had deteriorated, and he expressed concern over a worsening security situation after the pandemic. “This is why the EU needs to enhance its defence initiatives,” he said. The General noted the active involvement of the EU’s and Hungary’s military force in pandemic defense, and he thanked the Hungarian armed forces for its steady high-quality performance of tasks in the EU’s common security policy missions.