Nemeth: Strong NATO vital for Hungary
Finland’s and Sweden’s recent accession to NATO has been in Hungary’s interest, because the two countries offer a significant contribution to the alliance’s strength,” Nemeth said in a keynote speech in Parliament.
Nemeth said that nowadays it was Russia’s attack on Ukraine that was brought up as a justification for the need for a strong NATO, adding that this was not the only reason even though the war was indeed the most important security challenge for the alliance.
He said Hungary’s parliament and government “firmly and unequivocally condemn the Russian military aggression that has been going on against Ukraine since 2014”, and stands by Ukraine’s sovereignty and the integrity of its internationally-recognised borders in unison with its allies.
Nemeth said that while there was transatlantic unity when it came to the strategic assessment of the situation, “we have disagreements with our allies and Ukraine at the tactical level”. He said these disagreements could be traced back to the fundamental interest of Hungary and the Western world that Ukraine should achieve its strategic goals with as few casualties as possible, while Russia should not achieve its own.
Hungary’s interest, he said, lay in having a stable and strong, rather than a weakened Ukraine as its eastern neighbour, adding it was “thanks to NATO” this could be achieved with an urgent ceasefire and peace talks. Nemeth said NATO was the world’s strongest defence alliance, which was why no one had a chance of attacking it and defeating it.
He said the path taken by Hungary between 1990 and 2004 was proof that the strength of NATO’s defence “could make the world better if its leaders used it wisely”. “This world [we live in] is significantly better than the world of the Cold War,” he said.
Noting the defence measures Hungary needs to take against illegal migration and the country’s ongoing comprehensive military upgrade programme, Nemeth said Hungary will “continue on this path”, as it was committed to peace, security, the common good, human rights and the sovereign equality of nations.
