Hungary dedicated for the Western Balkans’ EU integration

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday met Hristijan Mickoski, his North Macedonian counterpart, for bilateral talks in Washington, DC, Orbán’s press chief said in a statement.

North Macedonia can count on Hungary’s support when it comes to its European integration process and efforts to develop its economy, the statement said, adding that the leaders agreed that bilateral economic cooperation was intensifying and a growing number of Hungarian businesses are active in North Macedonia.

The two prime ministers agreed to further strengthen political ties and double down on efforts to combat illegal migration, it added.

Foreign minister: Western Balkans EU integration could ‘boost’ Europe’s security

The accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union would “bolster stability in the region and security on the continent”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Washington, DC, adding that the Hungarian EU presidency would work to accelerate that process.

Speaking during bilateral talks with his Montenegrin and North Macedonian colleagues held on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Szijjártó said the stability of their region had a big impact on security in Europe.

“It is obvious that with unrest there’s a lack of stability in the Western Balkans, with conflicts affecting everyday life… Having lived in the shadow of war for the past two and a half years, we don’t need another security-type conflict or instability,” the foreign ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying.

He noted that recent reports from Kosovo or Bosnia and Herzegovina did not “point to stability or calm, balanced, and peaceful development”.

Slamming the current status of EU’s enlargement policy, Szijjártó said it was “losing credibility whenever a western European or Baltic country hindered the accession of the Western Balkans”.

The Hungarian EU presidency will make a focused effort to start accession talks with North Macedonia and “open at least one chapter” in the negotiations, Szijjártó said.

Hungary wants to close optimally nine or ten chapters

As for Montenegro, Szijjártó said the presidency would want to facilitate closing “at least seven, but optimally nine or ten chapters” before the end of the year. “We think Montenegro has completed the required steps,” he added.

Szijjártó called Serbia a cornerstone of stability and development in the Western Balkans, and the Hungarian presidency would want to open at least one chapter in Serbia’s accession process.

“Even though EU enlargement in the Western Balkans is not supported by a majority in the European Union … we’ll be bent on making great progress in their integration in the next six months,” the minister said.

After talks with the Serbian foreign minister, Szijjártó said “Belgrade has a distinctly pro-peace position in international political debates, for which they are on the receiving end of many attacks from Europe.” “They’re using all means available to slow down Serbia’s accession; that is contrary to our national interests, so in the near future we’ll concentrate on helping our Serbian friends with their integration process as much as possible,” Szijjártó said.

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