„We are saying goodbye to our excellent comrades who have done very much in the field of military diplomacy to enable the armed forces of their countries and the Hungarian Defence Forces to fulfill their mission and be able to protect their homelands against all kinds of challenges to security”, Defence Minister Csaba Hende said in the evening of Thursday, June 28 at the farewell ceremony of the Croatian, Serbian, French and US military attachés accredited to Budapest.

Speaking at the farewell ceremony held in the courtyard of the MoD Military History Institute and Museum, Csaba Hende thanked the military attachés accredited to Budapest – who are going to continue their service elsewhere – on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, the Hungarian Defence Forces and the MoD Defence Staff.

He stressed that “they are the ones who have served the alliance between our nations and the comradeship between the two armed forces. They have helped with resolving innumerable problems, removing innumerable obstacles and establishing the proper connections. Through their work, they have served Hungary and the Hungarian nation.”

The Minister of Defence pointed out that we have to implement rationalization in many areas due to the crisis sweeping across the globe. In times like this, it is especially important “that the lack of financial resources should be compensated by human virtues, better organization and more work, because the service must not suffer injury. In times like this, military diplomacy has special importance”, the Minister stressed.

Csaba Hende thanked defence attachés Col. Darko Keresa (Croatia); Col. Alexis Merdaci (France); Lt.-Col. Marko Novakovic (Serbia) and Col. Robert Duggleby (USA) as well as Lt.-Col. Edward Bellem, US Deputy Air Attaché for their work done over the last three or four years in the interest of developing and strengthening the relations between the ministries and the armed forces.

Speaking on behalf of the colleagues and the leaving ones, Darko Keresa, the doyen of the attachés said thanks for the correct and friendly partnership. He highlighted the several-year support they received from the MoD Department for International Cooperation and the assistance of military units and commanders during the programs and visits. The new doyen of the attachés, Spanish defence attaché Col. Jacinto Romero also said farewell to the leaving colleagues.

(Ministry of Defence)