Discussing defence industrial cooperation

Following his discussion with Thamer M. Al-Muhid, CEO of the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the minister of defence pointed out that “today Saudi Arabia is a key player in defence innovation, not only on the regional but also on the global level”. As he said, SAMI is seeking responses to the challenges of modern warfare, in accordance with the directions of development of armed forces.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that one of the central aims of the discussion was to explore the possibilities of cooperation between our countries in the field of defence innovation. He added that Hungary is committed to building technologically advanced, combat-ready armed forces, which may provide a solid basis for professional cooperation in practice.

The minister of defence pointed out that the meeting may pave the way for joint projects in fields such as defence technology, research and development and industrial cooperation, all of which are of key importance to the development of our own defence industry.

The minister noted that Hungary has been consistently developing its defence capabilities since 2016. We had already met the NATO guideline of committing 2% of the GDP to defence spending before the end of the deadline, and also accepted Donald Trump’s proposal for further increasing defence budgets. Today, a significant part of the budget is spent on developments and procurements.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized that the success of the modernization of the armed forces makes it possible for us to actively seek cooperation with new partners outside the alliance structures as well. “This approach provides a basis for the internationally competitive and resilient Hungarian defence industry” – he said in closing.