NATO Secretary General talks security challenges with Hungarian leaders

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited here on Thursday to discuss current security challenges including terrorism, instability in the south, and security concerns in the east.

Meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Defense Minister Istvan Simicsko, Economy Minister Mihaly Varga and others, Stoltenberg denounced the terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday saying, "We will stand up for our values and we will answer with an even stronger defense of our open, democratic societies."

He noted that instability in the south had triggered the current refugee crisis and that NATO and other international organizations were working to address the root causes of what he called a humanitarian issue.

Stoltenberg said NATO had doubled its response force and now had a new spearhead force at its core. He welcomed the fact that Hungary would be hosting one of eight headquarters that would connect NATO and national forces and contribute to planning and training.

For his part, Orban called for tighter controls on the wave of migrants coming in from the south, voicing his fear that many of the migrants were coming from war zones that European Union members are fighting in and some could be terrorists.

Orban assured Stoltenberg that Hungary would continue participating in NATO missions such as the Baltic air defense effort in Lithuania, and the Afghanistan and Kosovo missions.

He reiterated Hungary's pledge to boost its defense spending to 2.0 percent of gross domestic product, although he underlined that this was a long-term goal.

Both Stoltenberg and Orban spoke of the crisis in Ukraine. Stoltenberg voiced concern over Russia's heightened aggressiveness and increasing ceasefire violations, while Orban underlined Hungary's close cooperation with Ukraine, which it was ready to help to become stabilized. Endit