Uzbekistan and Hungary Deepen Defence Cooperation

Uzbekistan and Hungary have agreed to strengthen their defence partnership, signing a cooperation declaration during the visit of Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky to Tashkent.

The agreement marks a significant step in expanding military and strategic ties between the two countries. Speaking after his meeting with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Defence, Shukhrat Khalmukhamedov, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the new framework would lay the foundation for long-term collaboration in defence policy and military training.

During the talks, the ministers also addressed the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. According to a statement from Hungary’s Ministry of Defence, both parties agreed on the urgent need to end the war, which continues to destabilise the region and the wider European continent.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky highlighted Uzbekistan’s growing role as a key regional player in counter-terrorism efforts across Central Asia and described the country as a valuable NATO partner in the region.

While in Tashkent, the Hungarian minister also paid tribute to the memory of 1,400 Hungarian soldiers who died in prisoner-of-war camps in Uzbekistan during the First World War. He laid a wreath at a memorial site and later visited the Armed Forces Academy and the Centre for Innovative Technologies to explore Uzbekistan’s defence education and innovation efforts.