EUFOR Operation Althea: Katalin Novák praises our troops’ role
One of Hungary’s most prepared generals takes over command of the mission
Text: honvedelem.hu/MTI | Photo: President of Hungary Katalin Novák’s Facebook page, Noémi Bruzák/MTI | 10:30 January 31, 2024On Tuesday, 30 January President of Hungary Katalin Novák paid a visit to Sarajevo. On Tuesday, she first met with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then held a discussion with Borjana Kristo, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The topics of the discussion included, among others, the European integration of the Western Balkans, the EUFOR’s Operation Althea – a mission the command of which is to be taken over by Hungarian Major General László Sticz PhD –, demographic issues as well as the strengthening of economic and cultural relations – Vajk Farkas, Director of Communications, Office of the President of Hungary told Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday, 30 January.
Katalin Novák reaffirmed that Hungary is committed to supporting the European integration of the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, and went on praising the Hungarian troops’ role in the work of Operation Althea, the EU’s mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the Head of State, “The Western Balkans without the EU is like soup without salt. You can eat it, but something is missing.”
On Wednesday, the President of Hungary is visiting the EUFOR’s Operation Althea, where she is going to lay a wreath at the monument to fallen soldiers, and participate in the change of command ceremony of the mission.
Katalin Novák pointed out that the EU is characterized by enlargement fatigue, but the countries of the Western Balkans must take advantage of the enlargement dynamics to be launched with the start of accession talks of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. According to the Head of State, as a country to assume EU presidency, Hungary has recently been able to achieve progress in the EU integration of the region, so this is among the priorities of the Hungarian EU presidency to be held in the second half of 2024. The EU integration of the Western Balkans is in the interest of Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Europe as a whole – she added.
Speaking about the EUFOR’s Operation Althea, Katalin Novák praised the Hungarian troops’ role in the work of the EU’s mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She highlighted that a sign of the importance of Hungary’s engagement is the fact that a Hungarian general is to take over command of the mission.
Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky also attended the discussion, during which he pointed out that in the person of Major General László Sticz PhD, one of the most prepared members of the Generals’ Corp of the Hungarian Defence Forces is to take over command of the mission.
