Minister Krstičević meets with Hungarian Defence Minister
The Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on 2 March 2017 received in visit the delegation of the Ministry of Defence of Hungary, headed by the Defence Minister Istvan Simicsko.
The continuosly good relations and bilateral co-operation have been underpinned by the joint membership in NATO and the EU and co-ordinated policies.
The two sides outlined the domains of co-operation of the respective armed forces, comprising the joint training activities, international military exercises, the co-operation of special forces and within the regional initiatives, primarily the Central European Defence Inistiative.
The ministers discussed the Hungarian experiences with the acquisition of fighter aircraft, as Croatia will have to reach the strategic decision on the acquisition of the fighter component of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence by the end of 2017. The Croatian Minister appreciated his counterpart and said that discussions would be continued at the expert level.
They also agreed that the emerging security threats and the current security situation in southeast Europe require a major attention from NATO and the EU.
Minister Krstičević stated that the Republic of Croatia, being NATO and the EU member, was fully aware of its responsibility for the security of southeast Europe and that both Croatia and Hungary had an important stabilising role in the area, both as the members of the two associations and through the regional initiatives.
“The safety of the two countries and their residents is an additional incentive to continue strenghtening the bilateral relations as no country is capable of responding to the complex challenges, such as the migrant crisis or the growing radicalism related to the Middle East crisis, on its own“, said Minister Krstičević.
The Defence Minister of Hungary Istvan Simicsko said that the bilateral relations of the two neighbouring and friendly countries were founded on shared values.
“Today’s challenges strengthen the need for co-operation; we share the views on the threats placed before Europe, the migrant crisis and radical islam. Both Hungary and Croatia continue to develop their armed forces, and I support further talks concerning with the building of defence capabilities and joint activities“ said the Hungarian Minister.
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