Ministers discussed the cooperation of special forces and territorial defence of both countries. Bilateral cooperation in this respect will be continued by the defence ministries of Poland and Hungary, and its scope has been detailed in the agreement signed by Ministers Mariusz Błaszczak and Tibor Benkő during the meeting in Warsaw.

- Thank you also for your cooperation when it comes to Territorial Defence Forces. Thank you for cooperation in developing our defence capabilities, we also had the opportunity to talk about it. This is important for the security of Poland, Hungary and Europe. We exchange experiences, both in Poland and Hungary we have uniformed classes, Territorial Defence Forces, we develop capabilities for special and operational troops. Our nations can feel safe thanks to our cooperation within NATO and the European Union - said Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.

In turn, the Hungarian Minister of Defence described the state of Polish-Hungarian military cooperation as "exemplary":

- We are at the time of exemplary Polish-Hungarian friendship and cooperation. What the Minister said about Polish-Hungarian alliances and relations is an example of this cooperation - emphasized the Minister of Defence of Hungary.

The ministers also talked about increasing the Hungarian presence in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, where the Polish military contingent formed by the 12th Mechanized Brigade conducts tasks under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

In the implementation of mandate tasks, Poles cooperate with Hungarian and Irish soldiers. The main tasks of the contingent include the protection of civilians, monitoring of the demarcation zone "Blue line", according to the UN Security Council Resolution adopted on August 11, 2006.

Mariusz Błaszczak and Tibor Benkő also commemorated the events that happened 100 years ago, when the Hungarian authorities supported Poland with ammunition supplies during the Polish-Bolshevik war. The ministers travelled by rail from Warsaw to Skierniewice, where they inaugurated in the building of the railway station the "Exhibition on Hungarian aid during the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1920" and laid flowers in front of a plaque commemorating the Hungarian support given to Poles:

- We have just laid flowers in front of a plaque commemorating the supply of ammunition from Hungary. It is important that we could count on our friends from Hungary at the time. The most important thing is that the Polish-Hungarian friendship was, is and will be.

The head of the Ministry of National Defence referred to this year’s anniversary important both for Poland and the world and recalled the program of celebrating the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw 1920:

- I wanted to emphasize that today we recall events from a hundred years ago, but the apogee of commemorating these events will fall on August 15 this year. Thank you for the scheduled presence of the Hungarian army at the military parade in Warsaw, for the presence of the defence minister. These ceremonies will have a special character, they will start at 9.30 with a mass in Ossów - at the site of the Battle of Warsaw, then at 12.00 there will be a change of guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and military parade, at  16.00 picnic at the PGE National Stadium. The stadium will be one of 100 places where picnics commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw, centenary of our victory and stopping of the Bolsheviks near Warsaw will take place - Minister Mariusz Błaszczak summed up the planned celebrations.

 GALLERY - >> Minister of Defence of Hungary in Poland

 

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"Exhibition on Hungarian aid during the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1920" in Skierniewice commemorates the "brotherly transport" of Hungarian support to Poland in the fight against the Bolshevik invader. In June and July 1920, the Red Army broke the Polish defence and approached Warsaw, and in the longer perspective was to take Berlin and Budapest.

Shipments of war material could not get to Poland from Western Europe. Support was provided to Poland by Hungarians aware of the threat of Bolsheviks. The Hungarian authorities were considering they even sent their own troops to the Vistula, which ultimately did not happen. In the Polish Armed Forces, however, many Hungarian volunteers served on the front.

The Hungarian Prime Minister decided to support Poland with the supply of war material. The Polish Armed Froces were given all the stock of its own ammunition and production from the Csepel plant near Budapest (58 million cartridges). The Hungarians also took over the role of an intermediary in French transports, falsifying waybills and thus bypassing probolshevik blockades. Deliveries were made to the railway junction in Skierniewice. On August 12, 1920, at the climax of the Battle of Warsaw, 20 million rifle cartridges arrived there.

Thanks to persistent defence and an offensive turnover from the Wieprz river, the Polish Army managed to stop the Bolsheviks at the gates of Warsaw. In the following weeks, the Poles went on the offensive, achieving a victory in the war crowned with the Riga Peace of March 1921. Hungarian support contributed to this triumph, as Polish soldiers were in real danger of lack of ammunition.