Hungary continues to strongly support Serbia’s bid for European Union membership, daily Magyar Hírlap reported on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received Vladimir Orlic, president of the Serbian National Assembly, at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief, told national news agency MTI.
Serbia’s EU membership is a strategic issue, which cannot be postponed any further, given the current threats of war and the consequences of the sanctions crisis, Orbán told Orlic during the meeting.
Orbán assured the Serbian president that Hungary would remain a staunch advocate of the EU integration of the Western Balkans in all EU forums, and both sides called for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks on the Russian-Ukrainian war.
They also said that as neighboring countries, close border protection cooperation between Hungary and Serbia is vital to stop illegal migration.
The Hungarian and Serbian officials agreed to continue cooperation to further strengthen energy security as well and welcomed the recent agreement on the establishment of a Hungarian-Serbian joint gas trading company.
Serbia has come under pressure from the EU as of late over disputes with neighboring Kosovo and its reluctance to support Ukraine given its long-held political and cultural alliance with Russia.
