Orbán: The development of the armed forces must not slow down

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received Armin Papperger, CEO of the German armaments and automotive company Rheinmetall on Thursday, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister's press chief, told MTI, the state news agency.

Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky also attended the meeting, where it was noted that the Hungarian economy and industry performed exceptionally well last year, even though it was the most difficult year of the past three decades. As we enter the era of danger, with the war in Ukraine going on, it is clear that the launch of the development program of the Hungarian defense industry was a good decision. The report does not state who it was exactly that these words came from.

Viktor Orbán said: “The defense of Hungary is our most important goal, and therefore the development of the Hungarian defense forces and defense industry cannot slow down despite the European crisis brought on by the sanctions. Thus, the cooperation between Rheinmetall and the Hungarian state will continue uninterrupted.”

Hundreds of high ranking personnel have recently been made redundant by the Hungarian Defence Forces. "This is not a social institution, those leaders who meet the new criteria can stay. This is an army, next to a raging war in the middle of Europe," Szalay-Bobrovniczky said earlier, explaining the need for the layoffs.

The government began spending huge sums on upgrading the Hungarian armed forces years ago, which at certain points has converged with pro-government economic circles. According to the research of Telex partner Direkt36's, there is some skepticism about the purchase of expensive equipment because there are few people capable of operating it. For more information on the development of the armed forces, see this article.