Continuing Croatian–Hungarian Dialogue on Defence Policy

At the meeting, the Hungarian delegation was received by Nikolina Volf, Head of the Sector for Defence Policy and Planning, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia. The parties reviewed the current security challenges such as the present state of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the conflict between in Israel and Iran in the Middle East and its potential effects on European security, as well as the security situation of the Western Balkans. Besides, high on the agenda of the meeting were the current issues of NATO, including the results of the Hague NATO Summit. Finally, the parties discussed the possibility of expanding military cooperation between the two countries.

The Croatian party expressed its thanks for Hungary’s providing air policing in Croatian airspace together with Italy until the Rafale fighter jets arriving in Croatia reach their operational capability. The parties agreed that they should continue dealing with the EU accession of countries in the Western Balkans as a priority, and the same goes for the handling of illegal migration, which may gain new momentum as a result of the events in the Middle East.

The venue of the bilateral meeting was the Ministry of Defence of Croatia. After the discussion, wreath-laying ceremonies were held first at the Hungarian Embassy in Zagreb and a day later in the military port of Pola, where László Hajnik accompanied a member of his delegation, MoD Parliamentary State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defence Tamás Vargha.