ZAGREB, March 8, 2018 – The Croatian and Hungarian defence ministers, Damir Krstičević and Istvan Simicsko respectively, met in Budapest on Wednesday to discuss ways of strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries.
The ministers agreed joint military exercises and participation in international military exercises for the two countries’ special forces, air forces and ground forces. They announced that three agreements would be signed in the near future: on airspace protection, air rescue and radar data exchange.
The progress of defence cooperation will be reviewed every six months, the two ministers told a press conference.
“The Croatian army was created in war and has huge experience and knowledge. The Hungarian army also has huge experience and knowledge. Our task is to exchange the lessons learned so that both armies can be even better and become guarantors of peace and security in this region,” Krstičević said.
Krstičević invited Hungary to attend a major regional defence fair in the southern Croatian Adriatic port city of Split next year. He said the fair would be a chance for the two economies to connect even better.
Krstičević and Simicsko also discussed the situation in Southeast Europe, where Krstičević said there were “a lot of problems”.
“The EU integration of these countries is very important, but that is not enough. We need greater attention from both the EU and NATO. Croatia and Hungary are stabilising factors. We have influence through regional initiatives and a lot is expected from us,” the Croatian minister said.
Simicsko said that Croatia and Hungary were among the safest countries thanks to their soldiers and cooperation between them. Speaking of the challenges currently facing Europe, Simicsko cited mass migration, the accompanying threat of terrorism, and the issue of identity, according to the Hungarian news agency MTI.
