Hungarian Defense Minister Krzysztof Szalai-Bobrovnicki met on Monday, February 23, in Budapest with his Albanian counterpart, Pirro Vengu, as part of official talks on bilateral cooperation and regional security developments.
The Albanian Minister of Defense was received with official honors, as shown by the photos released by the Hungarian Ministry of Defense.
During the meeting, the Hungarian minister reiterated Budapest's support for the European Union's enlargement based on meritocracy, noting that Hungary supports Albania's accession process, as, as he stated, the country has made substantial progress in recent years and is "on the threshold of accession."
He made it clear that Hungary does not support, as he said, ideologically motivated accessions without substantive criteria, referring in particular to the case of Ukraine. At the same time, he spoke of political pressure on Hungary through the interruption of oil deliveries from the Druzhba pipeline, but also through interventions in the Hungarian elections.
Referring to the war in Ukraine, he stressed that Hungary is in favor of peace and supports a diplomatic solution, including the peace efforts of the United States, noting that Albania maintains a similar position.
Particular emphasis was placed on the Western Balkans, which, he stressed, are of decisive importance for Hungary from a historical, economic and migration perspective. The stability and security of the region, he said, are a top priority, which is why Budapest firmly supports the European integration of the countries in the region.
The Hungarian minister also noted that his country actively contributes to the stability of the Western Balkans, participating in the KFOR mission in Kosovo and the EUFOR Althea operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while from March the EUFOR mission will have a Hungarian deputy commander.
For his part, Vengu thanked the Hungarian Armed Forces for their assistance in dealing with last year's forest fires in Albania and stressed that his country is at the forefront of European integration, having made significant progress towards membership.
During the visit, the bilateral cooperation plan between Albania and Hungary was signed, which provides for the strengthening of the exchange of experiences between the armed forces of the two countries. At the same time, a memorandum of understanding was signed to promote innovation in the field of security and defense, paving the way for closer cooperation in research and development.
