The Establishment of the Hungarian Defence Industry is of Strategic Importance

He added that the defence industry might be an appealing field of investment to foreign investors due to the geographical location of Hungary, the qualified workforce, the quality of work, the successful Hungarian tax system and the political stability of the country.

The Minister highlighted that the defence industry should be regarded as the sector meeting the demand for equipment of the renewing Hungarian armed forces, as a cylinder of the Hungarian national economy’s engine.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky recalled that the Hungarian government had recognized near 2016 that the development of the armed forces should be started. This process was begun and is being continued with the help of major international strategic partners. Examples of international strategic cooperation are visible in Várpalota and Zalaegerszeg – he added.

The Defence Minister also mentioned the significance of innovation, as well as that the ministry has established the Defence Innovation Research Institute (DIRI), which joins NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) in its workflow. This also makes it possible for Hungarian companies to join the innovative work with the major international partners.

At the press release, the Minister said that Türkiye is a strategic partner of Hungary, and their military cooperation is also intensive. According to the Defence Minister, Türkiye can be regarded as an example in the field of the defence industry as it has set up a stable and strong one throughout many decades.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky mentioned that during the discussion with the Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir, they had looked through several cooperation possibilities and established a professional workgroup to manage these.

At the press release, Mehmet Fatih Kacir highlighted that the forms of scientific-innovational and defence-industrial cooperation are important in Turkish-Hungarian relations. They plan to announce the year 2025 as a Turkish-Hungarian scientific-innovational year.

The Turkish Minister emphasized that Hungary is an essential trading partner to Türkiye, the trading volume between the two countries doubled during the past seventeen years and it is getting closer to the mutual target of 6 billion dollars a year.

Mehmet Fatih Kacir called it important to mutually enhance the investments between the two countries.