Romanian and Hungarian Ministers of Defence, Teodor Atanasiu and Ferenc Juhasz stated Tuesday night, February 22, 05 in Budapest that a more pragmatic approach to bilateral military cooperation is necessary. The two Ministers appreciated that the Romanian-Hungarian Joint Peacekeeping Battalion performed well during the common exercises and this could mean they are ready for a mission in the near future.

Speaking about the re-structure process of the Ministry of Defence, Juhasz declared that in his country, the process is also ongoing and the Hungarian Armed Forces is already voluntary, the last conscripted soldier ending the military service in December 3, 2004.

Atanasiu proved to be interested in the support Hungary could offer to Romania for joining the structures of security and European defence. In this respect, Juhasz expressed the possibility to share the experiences gained by the Hungarian Armed Forces so far in their participation in the establishment and activity of different combat groups for different international missions.

Another issue of talks in Budapest was the participation of the two Armed Forces in the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Hungary there is a maximum limit of 1000 soldiers that can be deployed on missions outside the country, while Romania currently has more than 1500 soldiers present in the theaters of operations. Atanasiu also stated that Romania expressed the availability and the coalition members agreed to soon send 100 more soldiers for ensuring the security of the UN missions in Iraq. The Romanian Minister of Defence also stated that our country helped the Iraqi Armed Forces through a donation in armament and ammunition while Hungary offered tanks. Atanasiu declared that 27 Iraqi officers will be trained in Romania in the summer of 2005.

Minister Juhasz mentioned that for Hungary the security in the Western Balkans represents a priority and for this reason they will supplement their participation in the region. Atanasiu said that for Romania, this region is also very important, our Armed Forces participating in all the EU missions in the region.

Major General Corneliu Dobritoiu, chief of the International Military Cooperation Directorate and his Hungarian counterpart, Colonel Eng. Gyenes Istvan signed the Agreement of Cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence of Romania and the Ministry of Home Defence of Hungary for 2005.

Atanasiu said that the visit in Hungary represents his first action of bilateral international cooperation as a minister. Juhasz stressed at his turn that after becoming minister, his first visit out of the country was in Romania.

Tuesday, the Romanian Minister of Defence met Andras Barsonyi, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Wednesday, February 23, Atanasiu will meet Gyorgy Keleti, President of the Commission of Defence of the Hungarian Parliament.

MoND Press Office