Hungary backs Montenegro’s EU accession

Hungary actively backs Montenegro’s European Union accession process just as it supported its efforts to join NATO, the Hungarian Speaker of Parliament said after talks with his Montenegrin counterpart in Podgorica on Monday.

László Kövér told a press conference held jointly with Ivan Brajovic that Montenegro’s speedy accession would also be a “great achievement” for the EU. Other western Balkan countries, meanwhile, could take its lead, he added.

Kövér said delays should not be laid at the door of Montenegro but rather blamed on European institutions and EU enlargement policy.

Budapest, he added, “has high hopes” that changes in the European Parliament and European Commission after the upcoming EP elections would accelerate the integration process.

Kövér praised Montenegro for settling internal political disputes and developing its economy. “It has become one of the most stable countries in the region,” he said.

He welcomed “problem-free and friendly” relations and called Montenegro “an honorary neighbour”.

Kövér noted that Hungary was now the second largest EU investor in Montenegro, with the volume of bilateral trade increasing by 25 percent in the past five months.

The speaker invited his Montenegrin counterpart to visit Hungary. Earlier in the day, Kövér met Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, President Milo Djukanovic, as well as deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Jankovic.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI