In Újdörögd on Tuesday, Minister of Defence István Simicskó said that terrorist attacks may occur anytime in Hungary too, so we an increased number of exercises are needed to be conducted that enable us to provide effective security.
Speaking at the press briefing held after a shooting demonstration of the Hungarian Defence Forces 2nd Special Forces Regiment and the Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK), Mr. Simicskó said that over the last one year, more than 300 people lost their lives due to terrorist attacks around Europe.
The Minister of Defence underlined that acts of terror like the ones committed in Brussels and Paris may occur anytime in Hungary too, so cooperation among different units and the training events in support of it are gaining significance.
Mr. Simicskó reminded his audience that the Fundamental Law of Hungary has been amended to include the state of terrorist threat as a new element of the Special Legal Order. By declaring this state, if the need arises, the specially prepared units of the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) can also help the work of the police.
He emphasized that the training event and demonstration in Újdörögd is a good example of the cooperation between the Hungarian Defence Forces and the Counter Terrorism Centre, and similar joint activities may be needed in the future too. He also noted that the specially trained HDF units are able to serve the security of Hungarian people here at home, in addition to standing their ground abroad, in various hot spots around the world like Iraq or Afghanistan.
In answer to a question, TEK Director-General Maj.-Gen. János Hajdu told the press that the cooperation between the Hungarian Defence Forces and the predecessor organization of the Counter Terrorism Centre goes back to the 1990s. He added that during joint training events, the capabilities of the two organizations are added together, thereby ensuring training effectiveness.