The defense minister said Hungary regards peace, stability and security in the Western Balkans as “extremely important”.
Speaking in Sarajevo on Wednesday, where he handed over a donation of 1,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to local civilians serving at the EUFOR camp, Tibor Benkő said the Hungarian government’s assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina contributed to the country’s security. EUFOR Commander Alexander Platzer noted that whereas most peacekeeping soldiers had already received jabs, civilians working in the camp hadn’t. Hungary quickly responded to their request for help, he added. Mijo Krešić, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s deputy minister for defense, said the donation was a sign of the deepening of “outstanding” relations between the two countries.
Minister Benkő noted that the vaccination rate within Hungary’s army was 85 percent and that around 7,000 soldiers and military personnel had been infected during the epidemic, while 14 soldiers and personnel died.