Chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zeljka Cvijanovic visits Budapest

Hungary is the best friend of countries in the Western Balkans, President Katalin Novák said on Monday, at an international press conference held after meeting Zeljka Cvijanovic, the chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Budapest.

Novák welcomed that Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted EU candidate status in December last year. “This process must not slow down, or stop,” she said.

The Hungarian president called the Western Balkans a highly important region which could be key in the future of Europe. “Western Balkan countries can count on us, they should be part of Europe, not only from the point of view of their history and set of values, but in terms of their ideology and geographic location and from a legal and economic aspect,” she said.

Novák noted that they discussed the Ukraine-Russia war, illegal migration, economic cooperation and the demographic crisis.

She said they reiterated their position concerning the war and stated their support to the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. They condemned the Russian aggression and urged peace as soon as possible. “Stability in the Western Balkans is of primary importance as well and this is why Hungary has 164 of its troops serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Novák said. Stopping illegal migration is also of primary importance for both countries, she said, adding that they “would work as allies in reversing a population decline”.

Cvijanovic said Hungary served as a bridge for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Western Balkan region in building ties with the European Union.

She thanked Hungary for “showing an understanding towards the Western Balkans that is rather uncommon in the EU”.

Cvijanovic said she highly appreciated the good relations Hungary had built with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkan region and added that Hungary’s commitment to building economic cooperation with the region was important.

She thanked Hungary for the support it had provided early on after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cvijanovic invited the Hungarian president to pay an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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