Hungary and Serbia Sign Agreement on Strategic Defense Cooperation

Hungary and Serbia have signed an agreement on strategic defense cooperation, which includes conducting joint exercises and cooperating in the area of arms procurement.

This was announced in a statement on the Serbian government’s website.

The document was signed on April 1 in Belgrade in the presence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Serbian Minister of Defense Bratislav Gašić and his Hungarian counterpart, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky signed the document.

The document implements and details the Strategic Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in 2023.

Vučić stated that the key elements of the agreement are military cooperation. It includes conducting bilateral and multinational exercises, as well as joint efforts in the procurement of systems and armaments.

In July 2024, Militarnyi reported that Serbia had purchased more than half of the entire Hungarian fleet of BTR-80A armored personnel carriers. It is reported that the country bought 66 armored personnel carriers.

The vehicles were transferred to the Serbian 72nd Special Operations Brigade and participated in the Firestrike 2024 military exercise.

Strategic defense cooperation with Hungary could help Serbia confidently enter the European arms market.

This step is essential for maintaining and developing the country’s defense capabilities amid the termination of numerous contracts with Russia.

In January, the head of the Serbian General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, stated that the supply of contracted Russian armaments is currently virtually impossible, but Serbia is trying to find a solution through diplomacy.

He added that some contracts have been terminated, while others have been postponed in the hope that the situation will normalize and allow them to be fulfilled.