We Stand Beside Our Allies in Hard Times

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the main goal of his visit was to directly convey the message of solidarity of the Hungarian government to the Jewish state following the Hamas terror attack in October. He added that “we have supported and continue to support Israel’s right to self-defence in all forums”.

The minister also said that besides the current security and defence policy-related issues, they also discussed military-to-military relations and the issues of cooperation in the field of defence industry at the meeting with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The leaders of the ELBIT, RAFAEL and IAI companies also participated in the discussions.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Hungarian–Israeli military cooperation, which is the precondition of further defence industrial cooperation between the two countries, was also signed during the visit. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted that the renewal of the Hungarian air defence, a fundamental pillar of national defence, is also connected to Israel, as the Hungarian government has recently purchased the elements of the duly well-known and recognized Israeli Iron Dome radar system for this purpose, which – together with the American–Norwegian NASAMS missile system – make up the 21st-century, high-tech air defence system of Hungary.

Press release of the Ministry of Defence