Hungary supports Serbia’s drive for European Union membership, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in the Serbian town of Subotica (Hungarian: Szabadka) after the fifth joint Hungarian-Serbian cabinet meeting.
According to Rmx.news, PM Orbán said the European Union should have a more flexible foreign policy towards Serbia, which has officially been a membership candidate since 2014 but accession negotiations stalled due to Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent state.
“If the European Union doesn’t embark on a bold new mission, its performance will decrease. It is in the interest of every EU member state that Serbia become a full member as soon as possible,” PM Orbán said.
The prime minister also thanked Serbia for its support in 2015 when Hungary built a fence on the Serbian-Hungarian border to stave off migration.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that the joint cabinet meeting was an unqualified success: the two countries concluded eleven agreements covering almost every political, economic and social topic. She said these meetings are not just for show, but they do effectively advance regional cooperation. She mentioned the new border crossings that will speed up travel: one was opened last year, one is planned to be opened this year and a third one will have its capacity expanded.
Brnabić also said the two countries are partners in two international infrastructure projects: the modernization of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line and the Turk Stream natural gas pipeline.