Coronavirus – Restrictions lifted on Hungary-Serbia border – UPDATE

Citizens of Hungary and Serbia will be allowed to travel between the two countries from 10am on Monday without requiring them to enter quarantine on their return, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at Röszke at the border, in southern Hungary.

Speaking after talks with the Serbian minister for European integration, Jadranka Joksimovic, and István Pásztor, head of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ), Szijjártó said

reopening the borders will make it possible for families and communities to reconnect.

Economic ties will also gain new momentum, he said.

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UPDATE

Thanks to timely and strict restrictions, central European countries have managed to control the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, Szijjártó said. Reducing passenger traffic across borders was one of those measures, he said.

Those results make it possible for Hungary and Serbia to return to normality while prioritising the protection of life and health, he said.

Regarding Hungary’s economic development programme in Serbia’s Vojvodina region, Szijjarto noted that Hungary had ploughed 6 billion forints (EUR 17.1m) into supporting medium-sized and large projects in the region.

Large companies such as Hungarian oil and gas company MOL and OTP Bank are playing a significant role in restarting both countries’ economies, Szijjarto said.