Hungary to Join Baltic Air Policing Mission
At the NATO summit in Chicago this week, Hungary declared that it will join the alliance's Baltic air policing mission and the Netherlands is currently considering the same move, Lithuanian Defense Minister Rasa Jukneviciene has said.
Hungary's strong desire to participate in the mission was expressed by the nation's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday, the last day of the summit, said Jukneviciene.
In addition, Luxembourg offered to support the air policing mission with almost one million euros, she said.
Because Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have the technical means to conduct their own air policing, the Baltic skies are guarded, on a rota basis, by fighter jets of one of 15 participating NATO member states. The mission is currently being carried out by Poland, Postimees reported.
During the Chicago summit, the eight-year-old Baltic air space policing mission was officially made permanent.
Ingrid Teesalu