Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary has always supported the European Union's enlargement and "now, as the president of the EU Council, it is again stating that after many years of waiting, Serbia must join the EU".
Speaking in Belgrade on Wednesday, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky told a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart Bratislav Gasic that they had discussed the peace and security of the Western Balkans, and the war underway in the neighborhood. Hungary's position remains that an immediate ceasefire is needed, the only solution is through diplomacy, and peace talks should be started as soon as possible, he said.
He said that at a joint meeting of the Hungarian and Serbian governments last year, the respective defense ministries signed a strategic agreement, followed by concrete steps to bring the deal to fruition, as defense and security had always been important areas of cooperation between the two countries.
He added that he and Gasic had discussed cooperation opportunities in defense, the defense industry, and the military, including military health. The frequent, high-level meetings between the two countries demonstrate that a golden age of Hungary-Serbia relations is underway, he said.
Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky told Hungary's public media that Serbia and Hungary were strategic partners and Serbia's stability was important for Hungary, "also in a military sense, the region should be reliable and calm".
The Western Balkans is the most important arena of the Hungarian military force's foreign presence, he said. "For years, we have been represented with significant force in NATO's largest land mission dubbed KFOR, and also in EUFOR Althea, which is the pledge of EU and partly NATO presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It currently has a Hungarian commander," he said.
Gasic also highlighted the importance of strategic cooperation between the two ministries.