Hungarian EU Commissioner: Whoever wants to be an EU ally should not go to Russia

Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, said on Wednesday that “the allies of the European Union do not visit Russia”. Of course, this was not meant for Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It was meant for Milorad Dodik, leader of Republika Srpska.

Allies of the EU do not go to Russia…

Olivér Várhelyi warned on Wednesday that “the allies of the European Union do not visit Russia.” Várhelyi was referring to the fact that Milorad Dodik, the leader of Republika Srpska, has announced that he will travel to Moscow next week to discuss economic cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reports.

“We need Bosnia-Herzegovina to be our ally,” Várhelyi said at a press conference in Sarajevo. In response to a journalist’s question, he said, “our allies are not going to Russia, that is my message. Those who want to be our allies should not go to Russia.”

…except when it’s us

As Telex writes, Várhelyi’s statement may come as a surprise in light of the fact that it is the members of the Hungarian government who have visited Russia several times since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Among the EU ministers, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has been to Moscow particularly often in the past year.

Bosnia and Herzegovina applied to join the EU in 2016 and was granted candidate status in December last year. The application followed concerns that the Russian-Ukrainian war could destabilise the Balkan region.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s efforts to join the EU

Várhelyi participated in a high-level political forum in Sarajevo. There, he outlined the steps Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to take to join the EU. The Hungarian Commissioner praised the swift formation of the new Bosnian government after the general elections last October and the speedy budget preparation, Telex writes. Várhelyi also said that he welcomed the commitment of stakeholders to implement the reforms agreed when Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted candidate status and that Bosnia and Herzegovina “shows a very clear commitment as a European ally”.