As a member of the delegation headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Minister for Defense Tibor Benkő participated in the fifth session of the Hungary – Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council on November 11. On the margins of the meeting, he held bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, the Minister for National Defense.
As far as military cooperation is concerned, Turkey is an important strategic partner for Hungary. For this reason, the two countries are further strengthening and expanding their cooperation by adopting a framework agreement. During his meeting with Hulusi Akar, Tibor Benkő emphasized that the defense cooperation and military ties between the two countries are excellent, and this provides a solid basis for further progress.
During the day, the two Ministers exchanged their views on several fields and forms of this cooperation. In order to strengthen the bilateral relations, the two Ministers have plans for military higher education, the processing of the lessons of the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, as well joint participation in various military exercises. In the near future, expert level working groups will be established to prepare the implementation of these plans. Tibor Benkő has also stressed that the Hungarian Army is ready not only to share its military experience but to build further cooperation in the special fields of rotating soldiers, search and rescue and survival operations, as well avoiding and resisting the enemy.
Turkey is an important ally for Hungary in counter-terrorism. It plays an outstanding role in preserving the security of the region and that of Europe, as well as preventing mass migration threatening the EU. During their talks the Ministers took stock of the current issues of the migration crisis. According to Hulusi Akar, the migration pressure on Europe will inevitably increase, and this will generate even higher tension on the migration route across the Western Balkans. The two Ministers have stressed that the security of the Western Balkans is highly important for both of their countries. The Hungarian and Turkish soldiers are serving together in KFOR in Kosovo, and also in the EUFOR ALTHEA operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During their talks Minister Akar welcomed that Hungary has taken over the post of the commander of KFOR.
On his part, Tibor Benkő expressed his thanks for the contribution of the Turkish army to HQ-MNDC group. In his opinion, the importance of this initiative is demonstrated by the fact that besides the three framework nations – Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia – another six countries also participate in this joint activity: Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and naturally, Turkey.
