Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of freshly graduated military officers, Hungary’s Minister of Defense said that today’s officers are taking up the uniform in “challenging, dangerous times” when there...
PM Orbán said the new funds would finance the government’s public utility cuts program and development projects for the military.
The defense minister said the central budget approved by parliament on Friday has allocated HUF 778 billion (EUR 2.2bn) for defense purposes next year, up HUF 162 billion from 2020.
“The Hungarian government’s position is clear: the coronavirus epidemic will not impact development of the Hungarian military,” said Defense Minister Tibor Benkő.
Speaking at an informal meeting of EU counterparts in Zagreb on Thursday, Tibor Benkő highlighted the importance of European Union cooperation on illegal migration and hybrid warfare.
Hungary sees bilateral cooperation in defense, political and economic issues with Latvia as mutually fruitful.
Tibor Benkő, Minister of Defense, said the government undertaking for the defense budget to reach 2 percent of GDP by 2024 is on target.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had spoken about boosting Europe’s defense capabilities as early as 2016, “and this idea is gaining traction”.
Minister Benkő said Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina face many of the same problems, challenges and risks, and they envisage possible solutions similarly.
After meeting his EU counterparts on Tuesday, Defense Minister Tibor Benkő said supporting greater defense capabilities will not undermine NATO but rather strengthen the alliance.
Defense ministers of the Visegrad Group agreed at a meeting in Ostrava on Friday that cooperation must be strengthened in all areas of defense between the four countries.
Minister Benkő participated in a two-day ministerial meeting of NATO member states in which general agreement was expressed on the need to further strengthen the alliance, including in the area of combatting terrorism.
The Hungarian defense budget will receive a significant boost of HUF 173 billion next year, meaning that the ministry will have a total HUF 616 billion (EUR 1.92 billion) at its disposal.