FM: NATO commitment to increase spending is a great opportunity for Hungary
Minister Szijjártó said it was important that allied countries now made a commitment to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense in two categories within 10 years, also in line with Trump's proposal.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said a new commitment by NATO members to increase their defense spending to at least 5 percent of GDP within ten years is a great opportunity for Hungary.
On the first day of a NATO summit in The Hague, Minister Szijjártó noted that it had been eight years ago that US President Donald Trump first attended a NATO meeting. 'Since that time, theoretically all members fulfilled the target to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense, and Hungary has met the target three years ago,' he said, according to a ministry statement.
Minister Szijjártó said it was important that allied countries now made a commitment to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense in two categories within 10 years, also in line with Trump's proposal.
In recent years, Hungary invested heavily in its defense industry, with demand in the sector expected to increase in the near future, he said. As a result, the commitment offers an opportunity for significant economic development for Hungary, he added.
He said NATO countries also had an obligation to spend 20 percent of defense spending on development and procurement, with Hungary being among the leaders in this area.
'Last year, Hungary's 45 percent rate put it at fourth place in the alliance. And this also means that Hungary spends nearly half of its defense spending on modernisation, new equipment and development in order to guarantee the security of the country, Hungarian people and families in an extremely uncertain international environment, an an era of crises,' he said.
Minister Szijjártó said this was the first occasion since 2022 that the meeting of the military organisation was not focused on stronger support for Ukraine, but on solidifying collective defense. He welcomed that for the first time Ukraine's NATO membership had been'openly and clearly' removed from the agenda, and that the Ukrainian president had not been invited to the official meeting, only an informal dinner.
'I am convinced that by removing Ukraine's NATO membership from the agenda, the world has become a safer place … Because if Ukraine had become a NATO member, it would have resulted in direct confrontation between the North Atlantic Alliance and Russia, and such direct confrontation would obviously equal the outbreak of a third world war,' he added.
He praised the US president's efforts for peace and expressed hope that NATO will finally close ranks in support of this policy.
He also said that Hungary was making efforts not only for its own security but also for its allies. He cited as an example the Hungarian air forces carrying out air policing activities in the airspace of Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia, and a Hungarian contingent with four aircraft and eighty staff to return to the Baltic states for the fourth time from August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Budapest Times
21 hours ago
- Budapest Times
Hungary is ready to collaborate with the new Romanian government, minister says
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, stated that Hungary is ready to collaborate with the new Romanian government, given their shared economic and energy security interests, which rely on 'stable, respectful and mutually beneficial cooperation' in today's perilous world. Noting the formation of the government to include the Hungarian Democratic Alliance in Romania (RMDSZ), Minister Szijjártó said he spoke with RMDSZ leader Hunor Kelemen by phone and 'congratulated my friend'. The interests of Hungarians in Transylvania 'are best served' with RMDSZ representatives in government, he added.
Budapest Times
21 hours ago
- Budapest Times
Orbán: Ukraine's accession to NATO would immediately result in war with Russia
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Ukraine's accession to NATO would immediately result in war with Russia, which would carry the risk of a third world war, so Ukraine must not be allowed to join either NATO or the European Union. The prime minister said on Facebook that Hungary has a primary security interest in not belonging to the same integration framework as Ukraine. He said the signatories of a recently launched initiative of Hungarian citizens open to political thinking included people that he used to fight together with for Hungarians' freedom and the country's independence 35 years ago. 'For obvious reasons, the respect resulting from this has since worn thin; but the shared past still obliges. This is why I publish the following response,' he said. PM Orbán said the signatories neglected Hungary's interests, and their assessment of the consequences of the continuation of the Russia-Ukraine war was flawed. 'They are also wrong in identifying the European Union's interests. If the EU accepts Ukraine as a member, it will currently result in an open war, and following a ceasefire it would result in the continual risk of a Europe-Russia war,' he said. 'If we want to help Ukraine … then instead of a war that destroys the country and results in the dispersion of the Ukrainian people, or utopistic promises of integration, we should offer them a form of cooperation that will bring an end to the war, offer efficient help, and does not sacrifice the interests of Hungary and the EU on the altar of an ill-fated and delirious strategy,' he said. 'Ceterum censeo, Hungary comes first,' he added.
Budapest Times
21 hours ago
- Budapest Times
FM: NATO commitment to increase spending is a great opportunity for Hungary
Minister Szijjártó said it was important that allied countries now made a commitment to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense in two categories within 10 years, also in line with Trump's proposal. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said a new commitment by NATO members to increase their defense spending to at least 5 percent of GDP within ten years is a great opportunity for Hungary. On the first day of a NATO summit in The Hague, Minister Szijjártó noted that it had been eight years ago that US President Donald Trump first attended a NATO meeting. 'Since that time, theoretically all members fulfilled the target to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense, and Hungary has met the target three years ago,' he said, according to a ministry statement. Minister Szijjártó said it was important that allied countries now made a commitment to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense in two categories within 10 years, also in line with Trump's proposal. In recent years, Hungary invested heavily in its defense industry, with demand in the sector expected to increase in the near future, he said. As a result, the commitment offers an opportunity for significant economic development for Hungary, he added. He said NATO countries also had an obligation to spend 20 percent of defense spending on development and procurement, with Hungary being among the leaders in this area. 'Last year, Hungary's 45 percent rate put it at fourth place in the alliance. And this also means that Hungary spends nearly half of its defense spending on modernisation, new equipment and development in order to guarantee the security of the country, Hungarian people and families in an extremely uncertain international environment, an an era of crises,' he said. Minister Szijjártó said this was the first occasion since 2022 that the meeting of the military organisation was not focused on stronger support for Ukraine, but on solidifying collective defense. He welcomed that for the first time Ukraine's NATO membership had been'openly and clearly' removed from the agenda, and that the Ukrainian president had not been invited to the official meeting, only an informal dinner. 'I am convinced that by removing Ukraine's NATO membership from the agenda, the world has become a safer place … Because if Ukraine had become a NATO member, it would have resulted in direct confrontation between the North Atlantic Alliance and Russia, and such direct confrontation would obviously equal the outbreak of a third world war,' he added. He praised the US president's efforts for peace and expressed hope that NATO will finally close ranks in support of this policy. He also said that Hungary was making efforts not only for its own security but also for its allies. He cited as an example the Hungarian air forces carrying out air policing activities in the airspace of Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia, and a Hungarian contingent with four aircraft and eighty staff to return to the Baltic states for the fourth time from August.
