Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary and Slovenia have had a “traditionally good” defense and military cooperation.
Following talks with Marjan Sarec, his Slovenian counterpart, in Ljubljana on Monday, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said “we need to find opportunities for cooperation and strengthen our defense ties to maintain security in the region”. The minister noted that Hungary had been protecting Slovenia’s airspace in cooperation with Italy. “Neighbours can rely on each other … we will come to each other’s aid without delay,” he said. He said Hungary and Slovenia were both participants in the EUFOR ALTHEA mission, as well as in the Central European Defense Cooperation supporting stability in the Western Balkans. Touching upon the war in Ukraine, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said “we still see the end to the war in an immediate ceasefire and starting peace talks”. Sending weapons or ammunition would only prolong the war, therefore Hungary refuses to do so, he said. The two ministers also inaugurated a memorial to Hungary’s Emil Czant, a captain who died in the First World War at the Isonzo River.