The safety of Hungarian people starts beyond our borders

The Hungarian minister of defence warned that the war in Ukraine has its effects felt in this region, too, which is intersected by one of the most frequented cross-regional routes of waves of illegal migration from the south. Hungary is interested in the political and economic stability of the region, including that of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is of key importance to the security of Europe as a whole, so we have been supporting the country’s efforts toward EU accession from the beginning. This constitutes one of the tasks undertaken by the Hungarian EU presidency: to accelerate the EU integration of the Western Balkans and within it, that of Bosnia and Herzegovina – said he after his discussion with Zukan Helez.

Speaking at the 20th anniversary ceremony of the European Union’s Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized that the Western Balkans also contributes to the defence of Europe, therefore increased attention is being paid to the international missions conducted in the region, thus, naturally, to the largest EU-led operation, EUFOR Althea. He added that Hungary has already been present in the NATO- and EU-led regional operations for 29 years now, and the safety of Hungarian people does not start at our borders but further beyond them. Hungary welcomes the extension of the implementation mandate of EUFOR Operation Althea by the UN Security Council on 1 November 2024.

Currently, the operation involving troops of 24 countries is being led by Major General László Sticz PhD, the first Hungarian commander of the mission. He pointed out that the commander’s activity of the last ten months has shown that the Hungarian soldiers are excellently prepared for the mission, both in terms of the personnel serving here and of the additional military capabilities provided for the commander’s tenure. Besides a maneuver company in rotation with Austria and the helicopter capability of the Aviation Detachment in the area of operations, Hungary also provides for this period a company on standby as part of the out-of-country Intermediate Reserve Force. Another task for Hungary is to provide the commander of the EUFOR Multinational Battalion during the COMEUFOR’s tenure. In addition, the Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) capability within the EOD team is a new Hungarian contribution.

EUFOR Operation Althea is mandated to ensure compliance with the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, to maintain a safe and secure environment (SASE) in cooperation with local authorities and to conduct capacity building, training and exercises for the armed forces of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH). Following the COMEUFOR’s tenure, Hungary will continue to play a leading role in the operation, filling the chief of staff position of the mission as of May 2025. The Hungarian minister of defence pointed out that in EUFOR Operation Althea, we are already using the light utility and medium-lift helicopter capability procured during the armed forces development program of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and this is the first time that the new Airbus H225M transport helicopters are being deployed in an international operation.

Besides, by supporting the rescue and decontamination work, Hungary has also contributed to the disaster relief efforts made in the wake of recent floods in the aera of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky inspected the preparedness of the Hungarian contingent within the framework of a military display held in Camp Butmir. During a training exercise conducted with forces of other nations, in addition to the EOD and infantry demonstrations, the Hungarian soldiers carried out a rescue mission using the MEDEVAC medical evacuation capability. This is because in the year of the commander’s tenure, the Hungarian Defence Forces are providing the MEDEVAC capability in Operation Althea with modern H145M and H225M helicopters.