Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said on Tuesday that Hungary has initialled an agreement to buy French Mistral air defense missiles.
The declaration of intent was signed alongside Belgium, Estonia, Cyprus, France at a European defense show in Paris addressed by President Emmanuel Macron, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in a video uploaded to his Facebook page. He noted that Macron highlighted the importance of air defense and the European defense industry. “Hungary is doing well in this respect; we’re developing our defense industry. Peace requires strength, we’re working on this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said at the international 54th Le Bourget air show in Paris a day earlier that developing Hungary’s military up to the requirements of the 21st century and ensuring the country’s security requires “the most modern equipment”. The defense ministry quoted Szalay-Bobrovniczky as saying that the government “is constantly looking for new solutions and the best military technology such as the Airbus H225M multi-purpose helicopter to ensure the security of Hungary and the Hungarian people.” Szalay-Bobrovniczky attended the show at the invitation of Sebastien Lecornu, his French counterpart.