Hungary backs creation of ‘security corridor’ on NATO’s eastern flank — agency

BUDAPEST, August 31. /TASS/. The new Hungarian government supports strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and creating a "security corridor" there to deter current and future threats, Foreign Minister Anita Orban said, according to MTI agency.

The minister called the development of ties along the "north-south" axis in Central Europe a "strategically important task," noting the need to integrate energy, transport, and digital networks, as well as to diversify oil and gas supplies. In her view, it is necessary to continue improving the "rail and road links between the Baltic and Adriatic Seas to make it possible to create a security corridor that will increase the region’s resilience and help strengthen NATO’s eastern flank in the face of both current and future threats," Orban said at the Strategic Forum , attended by the leaders and government members of the countries in Central and Southeastern Europe.

She said that Hungary will not become a "weak link" in NATO, as it is "firmly committed to the principles of unity and solidarity within the alliance." She emphasized that the country will fulfill its obligations to its allies, including defense spending and strengthening military capabilities.

"Given its geostrategic position, Hungary is also working to increase the troops mobility and ensure support for the units stationed on its territory," Orban added.

After coming to power on April 12, the government of Peter Magyar said that it would restore full cooperation with its EU and NATO partners, although it would not send weapons or soldiers to Ukraine. It also expressed its intention to build relations with Russia on the basis of pragmatism, but on August 26, for the first time, it called it "a threat to Hungary, Europe, and the world order." This wording was contained in the instructions for the Hungarian delegation at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, signed by Magyar and published in the government gazette.