Hungary ready to stay in Afghanistan after 2014

If there is such a request, Hungary stands ready to continue its presence in Afghanistan after 2014, the end of the mandate, Hungarian President János Áder said after his discussions at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.after his discussions with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The NATO Secretary General called Hungary “a dependable ally”.

János Áder is the first Hungarian President to have visited the NATO Headquarters in Brussels since Hungary joined the Alliance in 1999. Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, President Áder summed up the discussions in three words: security, trust and partnership.

He stated that “it’s close to fifteen years now that Hungary joined NATO, and it was the first time that that Hungary voluntarily joined a military alliance, actually after reiterating this decision through a referendum.”

“I think close to fifteen years ago Hungarians made a right decision. And this decision – back then and also now – serves the security of Hungary”, the President of Hungary said. He added that over the last years the Hungarian military leaders and soldiers have earned the trust of NATO’s military commanders and leaders. This is what he personally experienced last month on his visit to Afghanistan as the first Hungarian Head of State since the change of regime.

The NATO Secretary General thanked the President of Hungary for the participation of Hungarian soldiers in missions abroad, and called Hungary “a dependable ally”.

“By training the Afghan forces [the Hungarian soldiers] are helping to shape a better future for the Afghan people,” the NATO Secretary General said. He stressed that “Afghan soldiers and police are taking the lead for the security of almost 90 per cent of the population. By mid-2013 they will be in the lead for the security of 100 per cent of Afghans nation-wide and by the end of 2014 they will be fully in charge of their own security across the country”.