Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said NATO would not be as strong without Hungary's military.
Speaking at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, the foreign minister said Hungarian soldiers participating in the Baltic air policing mission also helped ensure Hungarian security. The ministry cited Minister Szijjártó saying that the Russian exclave in Kaliningrad was one of the most heavily militarized areas in Europe. Geographically, the Baltics are perhaps the most complicated area to protect within NATO, he added. Szijjártó thanked Hungarian soldiers for their duty and composure, stating that their task represented the most difficult mission of the Hungarian armed forces under the current circumstances of war. As well as bearing great responsibility for NATO and Hungarian security, their most important duty is to prevent a direct conflict between NATO and Russia, he said. “We’re proud that we Hungarians can also contribute to making NATO the strongest military alliance in the world,” he added. “We can rightfully say that without Hungary, its army and air force, NATO would not be as strong as it is,” he said. Hungarian soldiers, he added, may return to the Baltics in 18 months or two years’ time because it was likely that the importance of the mission would only increase in the upcoming period.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter