Defence Minister: ‘Future belongs to free nations’

Speaking at the defence ministry’s central commemoration in Budapest, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said he was convinced that the future did not belong to “empires … following ideologies”, but to free and independent nations.

“We have entered the era of dangers; the peace that we enjoyed for decades is now a thing of the past, a war is raging in our neighbourhood as well as in the Middle East,” he said.

The minister pointed out that the freedom fighters of 1848 had built their own army from scratch, with exemplary success.

“Today, our generation has had the opportunity to build our own army, the force guaranteeing the armed defence of the nation,” Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. “This is our task, and in that we are no different from the revolutionaries of 1848.”

The government has ensured that more than 2 percent of GDP can be spent on defence, the leadership of the military has been rejuvenated, the two big recent recruitment campaigns have been successful, and the military development programme is progressing well, he said. The defence industry is also undergoing a huge development, without which “there would be no Hungarian national defence, no Hungarian economy,” he added.

“1848 was the school of freedom,” the minister said, adding that this was based on the enthusiasm Hungarian youth had for their freedom. He said he could see “the same joy and enthusiasm on the faces of today’s young people” when they join the Hungarian Armed Forces.

At the event, decisions on promotions and appointments were announced and awards were presented.