Defence minister in Sweden and Finland: Hungary deserves more respect!
Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky attended a meeting of EU defence ministers in Stockholm and held bilateral talks with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts on Wednesday.
Earlier, government communications had said that a so-called parliamentary delegation (in fact, only Fidesz politicians) would travel to Sweden and Finland to discuss the accession of the two candidates to NATO, Népszava writes. It seems that the Orbán government wanted to address someone at government level, and sent Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on a trip to Stockholm and Helsinki.
In his address at the meeting focusing on the Ukraine war, Szalay-Bobrovniczky reiterated the position that Hungary would not send weapons or ammunition that could lead to the escalation of the conflict, according to a statement by the defence ministry.
Another topic discussed at the meeting was the development of the defence industry. Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted the Hungarian government’s measures aimed at reviving the sector and integrating it with Europe’s defence industry.
At his talks with Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson and Finland’s Antti Kaikkonen, Szalay-Bobrovniczky reassured his partners of Hungary’s standing support to the two countries’ NATO accession. He added, however, that “over the past couple of years, politicians of the two countries made false accusations against my country which is regretful.”
“Hungary deserves more respect, therefore we would like to engage in a political dialogue as partners and allies cooperating on a basis of mutual trust in future once the ratification process is concluded,” the minister was quoted as saying.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky also held talks with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. They discussed Hungary’s role in the UN’s peace-keeping missions and explored the possibility of Hungary’s participation in further international missions, the ministry said.
Source: MTI, Népszava