Thriving’ Hungary-Serbia ties notch up four achievements, says FM Szijjártó in Belgrade

“Thriving” Hungarian-Serbian relations have notched up achievements in cooperation on the economy, energy security, illegal migration and national minorities, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after meeting Serbian ministers in Belgrade on Monday.

Szijjártó had talks with Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic and Jadranka Joksimovic, the minister of European integration.

At a joint press conference held with Selakovic, Szijjártó said that relations that had once been antagonistic were now part of “a strategic alliance and characterised by friendship”. “We had to work a lot to achieve that,” Szijjártó said, adding that good relations had benefitted both Hungary and Serbia immensely, including the Hungarian community in Vojvodina and the Serbian community in Hungary.

In terms of economic cooperation, Szijjártó said the economies of Hungary and Serbia “contribute to one another’s growth very effectively”. He noted that bilateral trade last year hit a record 4 billion euros. In addition, he noted two large-scale transport development projects that include the ongoing construction of the Budapest-Belgrade high-speed rail link and the revamp of the Szeged-Subotica (Szabadka) rail line.

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Szijjártó further noted

the 20 billion forint Hungarian government grant awarded to 16 Hungarian companies, creating investments worth 40 billion forints in Serbia.

The minister called cooperation in energy security an important achievement without which “we would both be exposed to the supply crisis western Europe is suffering”. Szijjártó noted the interconnector operating between the two countries since last October had vast natural gas transmission capacity.