01.04.2025.

President Vučić: Today we are building the closest strategic defence relations with Hungary

The President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, had a meeting today with Hungarian Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the Palace of Serbia. Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Gen. Milan Mojsilović attended the meeting.

After a meeting held with the President of Serbia in attendance, ministers Gašić and Szalay-Bobrovniczky signed a document operalising and concretising the Agreement on Strategic Defence Cooperation.

According to President Vučić, this is a continuation of cooperation, and the strategic defence cooperation between Serbia and Hungary is one of the most important aspects of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic cooperation.

- Of all countries in the region, in terms of the number and the significance of joint activities, Serbia's most developed and most intensive defence cooperation is with Hungary. The key elements of this relationship are military-to-military cooperation, which is maintained through the implementation of bilateral and multinational exercises, and cooperation in military technology, reflected in acquisitions of arms and weapons systems. The document signed today by the two ministers operationalises and concretises a 2023 agreement on strategic defence cooperation - said the President of Serbia.

According to him, the largest number of activities, as many as 79, has been agreed for this year, which is almost twice as many as in 2023, when 48 activities were implemented.

- What we have agreed with our Hungarian friends is enormously important to us. We should not forget that thanks to Prime Minister Orban and his government, we were at peace with our northern neighbours even in 1999, when they were under great pressure to allow ground invasion via the Hungarian territory, but they did not allow that to happen. Today, 26 years later, we have reached a position where we can build the closest strategic defence relations and to believe that this agreement on joint activities will be followed by the forging of even closer ties and the creation of a military alliance between Serbia and Hungary. Of course, it is up to the Hungarian side, too, it is up to the Serbian and Hungarian parliaments, as well, but our relations are very good. In view of everything that is happening in Europe and the world, Prime Minister Orban and I have expressed our inclinations and intentions to continue accelerating and bringing our positions on defence closer together - emphasized President Vučić.

The Serbian President stressed the importance of the 79 joint activities, including training, exercises, military industry, peacekeeping operations, cybersecurity, military education, military medicine, and the training of helicopter units.

- They have an excellent infrastructure. The training areas in Serbia and Hungary will be used equally, they have excellent training centres, which will be very important for our helicopter units, as well as for our BTR gunners. We have established excellent cooperation in terms of purchasing BTR personnel carriers from Hungary, and they purchase 7.62 mm ammunition and other things from us. We have yet to develop our cooperation in military technology, because our Hungarian friends are interested in our 8x8 vehicles. We are interested in many of their systems, left over from the Soviet era, but also in some new ones – said President Vučić and emphasized that Hungary invests a lot of money and has an exceptional military which is being modernized with great speed.

The President also spoke about his upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Orban, where strategic cooperation on other matters will continue. According to him, last year our trade with Hungary amounted to 3.03 billion euros and our exports to Hungary are 5.6 times bigger than in 2012, which speaks volumes about the relationship between Serbia and Hungary. He also emphasised imports, which have increased significantly.

- Hungary is now Serbia's fifth partner, and it used to be 13th. We are very happy about that and I believe that we will be able to continue to improve our cooperation with our Hungarian friends. I would like to thank them for providing continuous support to Serbia, as true friends, and for doing so even in difficult times, and not only when circumstances are simple and easy. Hungary can always count on Serbia's support, no matter how favourable or difficult the circumstances in Hungary are," said President Vučić, adding that Serbia and Hungary are also reliable energy partners.

According to President Vučić, what lies ahead is a lot of joint work to be done in the military field, as well as building additional trust and strengthening good relations between Serbian and Hungarian soldiers. He expressed his belief that everything that has been achieved will bring greater security to the citizens of Serbia and Hungary.

Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and for today's meeting with the President of Serbia. He noted that the cooperation between the two countries is successful and emphasised the importance of defence cooperation.

- At international level, it is very important that there is cooperation with neighbouring countries and that two countries should always consult. Our neighbouring country, Serbia, is not in the EU, but we have consultations at the highest level. In 2023, we expanded our cooperation to include the military sector as well, and today, we went through the entire plan for 2025 in detail – said the Hungarian Defence Minister, adding that today Serbian-Hungarian relations are at an even higher level.

According to him, military cooperation includes expert consultations and soldier training.

- This contributes to the further development of cooperation between the two countries and to the strengthening of peace and stability in the Western Balkans. We have always been on the side of peace and Serbia has been Hungary’s ally in that regard. If we look back at the period 10 years ago, our strategy is EU enlargement and Serbia's accession to the union. Hungary keeps highlighting the significance of Serbia’s accession to the union and works on this using all its resources. When it comes to military cooperation, we have always persevered in helping Serbia to preserve peace, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky concluded.

Earlier today, after an official welcoming ceremony held at the Colonel Pilot Milenko Pavlović Military Airport in Batajnica and the playing of the two countries’ national anthems in front of the standing SAF Guards, Minister Gašić met with Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky, with whom he discussed defence cooperation.