Hungarian foreign minister held talks in Skopje

Skopje, December 2 (MTI) – Hungary supports Macedonia’s accession to the European Union and NATO, as the country’s stability is crucial for the security of not just the western Balkans but all of central Europe, Hungary’s foreign minister said on Friday.

In the event of another migration wave hitting Europe, Macedonia would be the southernmost country that could help stop the migrant wave, Péter Szijjártó told MTI on the phone from Skopje, where he is on an official visit.

Szijjártó said it was unknown how long the EU-Turkey migration deal would last, adding that if a new migration wave were to reach the western Balkans, “Macedonia would be the first [country] we could count on.”

The minister urged Brussels to begin accession talks with Skopje.

Hungary also asks Greece not to veto the opening of accession talks this time, he said. “We believe that it is not right that an EU member state should continuously veto the opening of accession talks with a candidate country because of their bilateral disputes,” Szijjártó said.