Hungary Defense Minister warns of consequences of NATO expansion
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a summit at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on February 25, 2022 (AFP)
At a meeting with the Bucharest Nine (B9) member states, Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky urged caution regarding the support of NATO's expansion.
"Hungary supports the open door policy [on NATO expansion] but still calls on its partners to be cautious. All such decisions can only be made if the applicant countries fully comply with the conditions, as well as with the full NATO allied consensus," he said as cited by the Hungarian Defense Ministry.
The EU is "playing an increasingly important role in the area of security and defense. Hungary is interested in an EU based on strong nation-states," he added.
He continued to recall the necessity to combat illegal migration from the South as he called for support to Western Balkans countries and stated that his country strengthens "the eastern wing of NATO" while allocating 2% of GDP for defense a year ahead of schedule.
According to the defense minister, he instructed to prepare the combat readiness of the Armed Forces in mid-July and conduct drills in the country as a result of the war in Ukraine and the influx of migrants.
This comes after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban requested an increase in the country's military capabilities since he believes that only a strong national army can secure Hungary's security and since Europe cannot depend on US defense alone for protection.
The Hungarian parliament urged the global community, in a new resolution adopted last month, to play a constructive role in reaching a peaceful settlement for the NATO-orchestrated war in Ukraine.
130 lawmakers voted in favor of the resolution while 24 voted against it. 45 members chose to abstain.
"We express our commitment to peace. We expect everything from all members of the international community that they will act in the name of the earliest possible peace as soon as possible and will avoid those steps that are associated with the expansion of the war," the resolution read.
Hungary even refused to agree on the formation of a Ukraine-NATO commission until Kiev gives back the rights to the Hungarian national minority, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said back in November.