BUDAPEST, Oct 25 (Hina) - Croatia and Hungary have excellent military relations, said Croatian Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac and his Hungarian counterpart, Janos Szabo, at a news conference held in Budapest on Monday after the talks
between these two ministers. A Croatian delegation, led by Miljavac, on Monday arrived in Hungary on a two-day visit. After their meeting, Miljavac and Szabo told reporters that the relations between the two ministries are as good as political ties between the two countries, describing them as excellent. Miljavac added that Croatia developed the best military ties with Hungary out of all its neighbouring countries. Szabo told the news conference that their talks had tackled implementation of the Dayton Accords and necessity to include Yugoslavia into a process of democratisation and stabilisation in this region. The Hungarian minister thanked on this occasion
BUDAPEST, Oct 25 (Hina) - Croatia and Hungary have excellent
military relations, said Croatian Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac
and his Hungarian counterpart, Janos Szabo, at a news conference
held in Budapest on Monday after the talks between these two
ministers.
A Croatian delegation, led by Miljavac, on Monday arrived in
Hungary on a two-day visit.
After their meeting, Miljavac and Szabo told reporters that the
relations between the two ministries are as good as political ties
between the two countries, describing them as excellent.
Miljavac added that Croatia developed the best military ties with
Hungary out of all its neighbouring countries.
Szabo told the news conference that their talks had tackled
implementation of the Dayton Accords and necessity to include
Yugoslavia into a process of democratisation and stabilisation in
this region.
The Hungarian minister thanked on this occasion for Croatia's
support to the SFOR Hungarian unit, engaged in Bosnia-Herzegovina
but situated in a base in the Croatian town of Okucani.
Asked by a Hungarian reporter how far Croatia had proceeded in the
transformation of its army, Miljavac said Croatia's goals are
EuroAtlantic integration, and preparations had been done for
Croatia's admission to NATO. Foreign experts have several times
confirmed that much has been done for this purpose in Croatia, he
added.
In relation to speculations about the purchase of aircraft,
Miljavac said that being offered two options - the purchase of
second-hand F-16 or modernisation of MIG21 planes, Croatia has
chosen the latter for the time being.
Asked whether they had discussed concrete military and technical
cooperation, Miljavac answered that Hungary can be a supplier of
different spare parts for Croatia as his country possesses weaponry
mainly of the East origins.
Szabo added that the recent meeting of chiefs of staff of the
Croatian and Hungarian armies' headquarters, Domazet and Fodor
respectively, had revolved around concrete forms of the military
and technical cooperation and that they had agreed on the set-up of
a special bilateral expert committee for such issues.
Asked how Hungary views Croatia's bids to enter NATO, Szabo said
Hungary's aim is that as many its neighbouring countries as
possible be admitted into this military alliance. This
particularly refers to Croatia, with whom Hungary has the long land
border as well as excellent political, economic and military ties,
he explained.
(hina) jn ms