On Thursday, 9th June the Ministers of Defence of Hungary and Austria met in Budapest to discuss ways for strengthening and enhancing military and defence cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking at a press briefing held after the meeting between Austrian Federal Minister of Defence and Sports Hans Peter Doskozil and Hungarian Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó, the former emphasized that the last defence ministerial visit from Austria to Hungary had been in 2007. According to the Austrian minister, this visit was too long ago, considering that the two countries have the same problems and face similar challenges in the region. For this reason, the two ministers have agreed that they will meet more frequently in the future.
Mr. Simicskó told the press that they have similar views on security challenges and the two countries have taken similar measures in order to be able to respond to and overcome them. They reviewed some recent amendments to certain laws in Austria, which have been adopted to establish a legal framework for dealing with new types of challenges. Minister Simicskó also informed his counterpart about the similar decisions recently taken by the Hungarian National Assembly. As he said, the way “our Austrian friends” think about security resembles the Hungarian standpoint, according to which security is a fundamental value, so it would be impossible to make any sense of liberties without guaranteeing it first. In this spirit, the militaries of both countries have been assigned similar sets of tasks; thus, like in Hungary, the Austrian armed forces are authorized to give assistance to police forces if the need arises.
While talking about the military-to-military cooperation between the two countries, the ministers discussed the situation on the Balkans. Both of them pointed out that Austrian and Hungarian troops are currently co-deployed and have an excellent cooperation in Bosnia and Kosovo. Furthermore, they also agreed that the peace and security of the Balkans are equally important to both countries.
In connection with the migration affecting the region, the two ministers looked to the current security situation. In order to be able to handle it, the Austrian minister of defence proposed that Austria, Hungary and Slovenia should develop even closer cooperation in the future. Mr. Simicskó said that he and his Austrian counterpart agree about the importance of the Schengen values, and also about the need to protect the external borders.
Hans Peter Doskozil emphasized that the lessons of the migration situation must be drawn, and the ways of equal treatment must also be learnt. At the same time, the Austrian minister also pointed out that we have to be realistic about the situation, adding that there is a need for taking prompt and effective action. He was of the opinion that our region must set an example to other countries too.
Mr. Doskozil told the press that a trilateral meeting is going to take place in the coming weeks, with the participation of the ministers of interior and defence from the three affected countries. The Austrian minister revealed that the two issues topping the agenda at the meeting will be securing the external borders of the European Union and discussing what a given country should do with those people who are permitted to stay in its area only until all official procedures have been completed. He added that our countries must prove that “we are able to take action” here in this region.
Mr. Simicskó stated that he had had fruitful discussions with his Austrian counterpart and that they have very similar positions on security challenges and the possible ways of dealing with them. He noted that their opinions and expectations diverged only on the results of the upcoming football match, to be played next Tuesday between Austria and Hungary at the 2016 UEFA European Championship.