Orbán: Development of Balkans in Hungary’s interest

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Milorad Dodik, the president of the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for talks in his office on Wednesday, the prime minister’s press chief said.

Orbán supports development of Balkans

The sides were in agreement that existing political tensions in the Balkans should not be overlooked even in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, Bertalan Havasi said.

Orbán said that Hungary had a vested interest in the peaceful development of the region and the sides therefore agreed to further strengthen political and economic cooperation between Hungary and Republika Srpska.

Szijjártó calls for end to ‘stoking unnecessary tensions’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Wednesday called for an end to “stoking unnecessary tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, saying that actions of the international community, including the European Union, often led to the threat of new crises.

Speaking after talks with Milorad Dodik, the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serbian Republic, Szijjártó told a joint press conference that peace and stability at the Western Balkans were key to those of the continent. Hungary will do everything in its power to promote it during its EU presidency starting in July, he added.

Speeding up EU enlargement is one of the best ways to allay tensions, Szijjártó said. “Unfortunately, European decisions often end up ruining basically immediately the hard-won fragile results in the region.”

Bosnia and Herzegovina started accession negotiations in March, and was progressing well amid “a consensus of every entity on becoming an EU member as soon as possible”, Szijjártó said.

“That harmony was ruined by the High Representative’s decision to interfere in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s internal affairs by changing the election law unilaterally, aggressively, and under his own authority,” Szijjártó said, referring to the Office of the High Representative tasked with implementing the civilian aspects of the peace agreement ending the war in the Balkans.

A UN proposal on a declaration on the Srebrenica massacre, “practically demonising the entire Serbian nation”, is having the same effect, Szijjártó said. Hungary will vote against the proposal, he said.

International political players should stop stoking tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as interfering in its internal affairs, he said.

They “must give back Bosnia-Herzegovina’s sovereignty and refrain from hindering a swift European integration,” he added.

“Hungary will do everything in its power to achieve that, and we aim to convene the first inter-governmental meeting during its tenure,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hungary remains committed to the “best, most effective and highest-level cooperation between Hungary and the Republika Sprska,” he said.

Commenting on the EU adopting the New Pact on Migration and Asylum on Tuesday, Szijjártó said Hungary would not allow illegal immigrants into the country, “no matter how aggressive they are in Brussels”. Hungary’s stance is “definitive and unchangeable” as it had been legitimised by a referendum, he insisted.

At a referendum on migration, Hungary said illegal migrants were not allowed into the country, and Hungary would reject all redistribution schemes, he said.

Hungarians will decide on who to accept into the country, and “we will defend ourselves by physical and legal means”, he said.

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