“Hungary has confirmed its previous promise to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, according to which it will be offering the majority of the capacity that will soon become available when the UN mission to Cyprus expires to NATO towards its involvement in Afghanistan and Kosovo”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced in Brussels on Wednesday in a statement to reporters.
At his press conference following the two-day meeting of NATO member state foreign ministers, Szijjarto declared that Hungary is ready to play a further role in improving Kosovan stability. There are currently 398 Hungarian soldiers serving in the Balkan country, and Hungary wishes to increase its military contingent in the region by at least 60 before next summer. The minister highlighted the fact that following the expiry of the mandate of the current Italian command in mid-2019, Hungary will be applying for the position of commander of the international peacekeeping force (KFOR) operating in Kosovo under NATO leadership.
Szijjarto told reporters NATO had decided that Bosnia-Hercegovina may submit its first-year national programme within the framework of the Membership Action Plan. “Amongst others, it is important to Hungary for there to be stability in the country in view of its proximity. This is why it supported calls for the country to be able to submit its national programme, which is the first step towards accession”, he stated.
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