NATO Secretary General with the President of Hungary 🇭🇺 Katalin Novák, 08 NOV 2023

Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Hungary, Katalin Novák, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, 8 November 2023. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed President Katalin Novák of Hungary to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (8 November 2023) to discuss Sweden’s accession to the Alliance, support to Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East. The Secretary General thanked President Novák for Hungary’s significant contributions to NATO, including leading one of the multinational NATO battlegroups and hosting NATO’s Multinational Division Centre. Hungary also supports the Alliance’s stability efforts in the Western Balkans, notably by leading NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo last year. Addressing the finalisation of Sweden’s accession to NATO, Mr Stoltenberg underlined that he counts on Hungary to fulfil its commitment, saying: “the Hungarian parliament should vote to ratify without further delay.” He stressed that Sweden has completed all the necessary steps, that its membership will strengthen the Alliance, and that the time has come to welcome Sweden as the thirty-second NATO Ally. The Secretary General and President Novák further discussed the importance of continued support to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression. Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the arrival of the first F-16 jets for Ukraine, donated by the Netherlands, at a training centre in Romania. He said: “President Putin thinks he can outlast our support for Ukraine. We must continue to prove him wrong.” Turning to the Middle East, the Secretary General affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law. He also said that “civilians must be protected; Allies support humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach Gaza. It is important that this crisis does not develop into a regional conflict. Iran, Hezbollah and other groups must not escalate.” 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: President Novák, Dear Katalin, welcome to NATO Headquarters. It’s a great pleasure and honor to welcome you, not least because this is your first visit to NATO Headquarters. Hungary is a valued NATO Ally. You contribute to Allied consensus on all our policies. You lead one of our multinational NATO battlegroups, helping to deter aggression. You host important military headquarters, including our Multinational Division Centre. Hungary also supports our efforts for stability in the Western Balkans. Including by leading our KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo last year. Today, during our meeting, we discussed finalising Sweden’s accession to NATO. The Hungarian government has repeatedly said that it will not be the last NATO Ally to ratify Sweden’s accession. Now I count on Hungary to fulfil that commitment. The Hungarian parliament should vote to ratify without further delay. Sweden has fulfilled its commitments. And I agree with you, President, that its membership will make NATO stronger. And all of us safer. The time has come to welcome Sweden as our thirty-second NATO Ally. President Novak and I also discussed Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. And the importance of our continued support. Since the beginning of the war, Hungary has provided shelter to many thousands of Ukrainian refugees. And helped with the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. Madam President, let me also thank you for your moral clarity in condemning Russia’s aggression. And its unacceptable violations of territorial integrity and international law. And Allies continue to provide unprecedented military support, economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine. I welcome that the first F-16 jets for Ukraine, donated by the Netherlands, have arrived at a training centre in Romania yesterday. President Putin thinks he can outlast our support for Ukraine. We must continue to prove him wrong. This is vital for Ukraine. And it is also in our own security interest. Finally, we discussed the situation in the Middle East. Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international law. And civilians must be protected. Allies support humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach Gaza. It is important that this crisis does not develop into a regional conflict. Iran, Hezbollah and other groups must not escalate. So once again, welcome President Novák. It’s great to have you here. And please, you have the floor. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUBSCRIBE to this channel SUBSCRIBE to NATO News SUBSCRIBE to NATO History Connect with NATO online: Visit the Official NATO Homepage: Receive NATO updates via email: Find NATO on FACEBOOK: Follow @NATO on TWITTER: Follow NATO on Instagram: Find NATO on LinkedIn: Find NATO on Flickr: #NATO #Hungary