After talks with his Slovenian counterpart on Friday, Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said it is important that beyond international organizations, neighboring countries also maintain close and honest dialogue with each other.
According to MTI, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that he was in agreement with Marjan Šarec about the security of the western Balkans having special significance, with no European security existing without it. They also both condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine and expressed support for the country’s territorial integrity and independence. Concerning the stability of the Western Balkans, he said Slovenian and Hungarian soldiers are participating in missions, with Hungary being one of the largest participants in KFOR and also represented in the EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Concerning the Russia-Ukraine war, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary was on the side of peace and wanted to avoid getting dragged into the war, and he said NATO should be encouraged to make every effort to avoid escalation. To meet the demands of generation change encouraged by NATO, Hungary is implementing a scheme to appoint younger officers in leading positions, he added. Hungary is proud that together with Italy, it has been participating in Slovenian airspace policing for years, he said. Šarec said that the talks focused on ways to further strengthen already excellent cooperation between the two countries, in the areas of defense and the military. Training will remain a priority for aviation control and pilots, as well as military exercises, he said. Cooperation was increased last year in the area of special operations, and it will be further enhanced in military logistics, he added. Slovenia is also preparing a new defense strategy and increasing its defense spending, he added.