Hungary believes that the problems should be solved not at Europe’s borders but at their places of origin, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. He emphasised that under the changed circumstances, the development of the Hungarian armed forces is progressing dynamically, confidently, and systematically.

PM Orbán wrote that the release of the three Kosovo police officers charged with illegal weapon possession in Serbia is a testament to the ‘mutual commitment to the peace and stability of the Balkans’. However, tensions in the region still seem to be on the rise.

‘Despite their injuries, the Hungarian soldiers have shown brave commitment, and many of those who were able to do so have already returned to their posts,’ the Hungarian defence minister said after the clashes between KFOR troops and local Serbs in North Kosovo. The minister stressed that the stability of the Western Balkans is very important to Hungary, which is why it is present in the region not only diplomatically and economically, but also militarily in the framework of the KFOR mission.

The concept of the ‘Bulwark of Christendom’ appeared in all border areas where two civilisations and religions came into contact. However, the conscious and regular use of the term is linked to the Italian humanists of the 15th-century Renaissance, who greatly contributed to the formation of the modern image of Europe.