Ukraine and Hungary Chiefs of General Staff met in Mukachevo (PHOTOS)

The Republic of Hungary military delegation led by the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Colonel General Tibor Benko arrived to Ukraine with an official visit. The Summit with the Ukrainian colleague, Lieutenant General Volodymyr Zaman was held in Mukachevo.

The Honor Guard of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine gracefully lined up on the city central square. There gathered forty military men from three types of troops: combined arms, air and maritime forces. The Orchestra of the Honor Guard Academy Army named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi was standing opposite. The heads of the Armed Forces of both countries welcomed one another on the red carpet and then went to the Town Hall in order to hold bilateral negotiations.

The conversation dealt with cross-border cooperation, peacekeeping missions and Armed forces reforming directions. In particular, officials paid attention to the military service issue. ‘We have to share our experience and knowledge. During the meeting we have decided on a particularly important issue on which we will work hard for the next year, for example, Hungary has already liquidated an urgent military service and everything that we have experienced during this transition can be used by Ukraine’, – said the Chief of General Staff of the Hungary’s Armed Forces Tibor Benko after the meeting.

The guest went to the Mukachevo castle on the excursion, both delegations put wreaths to the soldiers-liberators obelisk in the city center and to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849 obelisk.

Commanders visited ‘Tysa’ battalion and inspected the military equipment in addition to the negotiations and the first personal acquaintance. Lieutenant General Volodymyr Zaman concluded: ‘This meeting is very important for us, because we have to develop cooperation between the neighboring countries. The battalion “Tysa” prepares to tasks our and Hungarian soldiers, they participate together in trainings and peacekeeping missions. Our whole cooperation is based on the principles of the reasonable defense’ – pointed out the Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.