Military cooperation on the rise: General Gábor Böröndi holds discussions with Slovenian counterpart in Ljubljana

As neighboring countries, Hungary and Slovenia face common security challenges: the unstable situation of the Western Balkans and the impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian War necessitate the continuous strengthening of military cooperation. High on the agenda of the bilateral discussions were several topics ranging from the development of special operations forces (SOF) capabilities to cooperation in mountain training programs.

During the discussions, the two sides reviewed the collective programs of the near future as well. In 2025, the combined tactical Exercise Moonstar will involve Slovenian observers and a subunit, and Hungarian troops are expected to participate in Slovenian territorial defence training events. While visiting the company Guardiaris, the members of delegations were introduced to modern simulation solutions, among them a mobile training center.

It was emphasized at the discussions that NATO’s allied framework is the most important forum of Hungarian–Slovenian military-to-military relations; at the same time, the annual meetings of chiefs of defence provide special occasions for deepening bilateral cooperation. It is in the common interest of the two countries to give effective responses only through close cooperation to challenges from the strategic direction of the south – including migration pressure and the instability of the Balkans – as well as to threats from the east.

The results of the meeting show that in the future, the military partnership between Slovenia and Hungary may also be further deepened in the fields of exercises, capability development and sharing lessons learned.