Hungarian foreign minister meets Serbia ministers

Serbia’s becoming a strong country is “clearly in Hungary’s interest”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on the sidelines of talks with Serbian government members in Subotica (Szabadka), in northern Serbia, on Monday, and added that “the strength of its neighbours increases Hungary’s appreciation”.

Ahead of a joint Hungary-Serbia government session, Szijjártó held talks with Ivica Dacic, his Serbian counterpart, and Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbia’s European integration minister.

Hungary will take all efforts to contribute to Serbia’s economic development and to accelerate Serbia’s European integration, Szijjártó said.

“We cannot accept that the European Union should not be enlarged before 2025, and cannot accept that the European Commission artificially slows down Serbia’s integration,” he said.

“Among the true supporters of Serbia’s integration Hungary is the only country that dares to come up with that position. Europe’s mainstream politics is against enlargement, and we need to fight in Brussels to give momentum to the enlargement process and to remove the European Commission‘s artificial barriers,” Szijjártó said.

Concerning the Hungarian economy, Szijjártó said that

Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are “primary destinations” for Hungarian investment, and added that the government has earmarked a sum of 10 billion forints (EUR 31.1m) to support that trend.