In Hódmezővásárhely, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó stated that in cooperation with the police, the Hungarian Defence Forces have excellently accomplished the border protection tasks that presented extraordinary challenge to both organizations.
Speaking at a staff meeting held in the Miklós Zrínyi barracks, Mr. Simicskó said that the soldiers’ commitment and responsible service are needed so that the Hungarian families can prepare for Christmas in peace and security amidst the crisis caused by mass migration.
The politician emphasized that the government of Hungary highly appreciates the work that the soldiers are doing along the borders and everywhere around the world. He added that “for this reason, we are obliged to do something to express our esteem.
Soldiers are the top priority of a recently finished ten-year development program, which is to be implemented through the improvement of individual equipment and pay rise, the minister noted.
Dr. István Simicskó explained that in agreement with the minister of the interior, they are going to do everything to make sure that besides the safe performance of duties, each soldier and policeman can spend at least one half of the holiday season at home.
At the staff meeting, the minister of defence presented gifts to Hungarian and Austrian soldiers currently involved in the task “Joint Will”, and the ministry donated sports and training equipment to the barracks in the interest of improving the conditions of service for those working in Hódmezővásárhely.
István Simicskó told Hungarian news agency MTI that the Hódmezővásárhely barracks of the Hungarian Defence Forces is the only one in the region of the 175-kilometer-long Hungarian-Serbian border.
Preparations must be made for a prolonged migration crisis, therefore a decision has been made to set up border protection bases so that the soldiers can be stationed there instead of being transported from a single point continuously. As much as possible, these bases create adequate conditions for the soldiers performing their duties. The minister added that an Austrian engineer company has also joined the construction of bases and roads.
According to the politician, it is important that Slovakia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic are also providing assistance to Hungary with handling the migration crisis and share a similar position on the solution to the problem, as they consider it important to protect the external borders of Europe.
Austrian contingent commander Reinhard Koller said that all members of his unit are proud of being able to support the Hungarian Defence Forces in the execution of the tasks, and an excellent cooperation has developed during the joint work.