Addressing a meeting in Budapest on Tuesday to mark Hungary's 15th anniversary as a NATO member, the Hungarian defense minister promised to remain a reliable member of the alliance.

Csaba Hende called joining NATO a landmark event in Hungarian history, saying NATO and the European Union make up a firm anchor that allowed the country to settle solidly on the western shore.

He also warned that security had to be actively ensured on national and alliance levels alike.

Hungary, he said, has a vested interest in stability in the Western Balkans and in their eventual Euro-Atlantic integration.

Meanwhile the Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi called for stronger trans-Atlantic unity and more trust between the NATO members on the two sides of the Atlantic.

Also addressing the gathering was E. Szilveszter Vizi, President of the Hungarian Atlantic Council and a former president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He called NATO the most successful political and military organization in history.