Foreign minister: Hungary to open new accession chapters with Serbia
During its European Union presidency starting on July 1, Hungary will open new chapters in accession negotiations with Serbia and hold inter-governmental talks with all five Western Balkans membership candidates as part of its bid to speed up EU enlargement in the region, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Paris on Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Péter Szijjártó said Hungary also planned to close at least seven chapters with Montenegro, open the first ones with Albania and adopt the negotiation framework with Bosnia-Herzegovina, a first step to opening the first chapter of talks. Hungary will also strive to start “substantive talks with the new, strongly pro-integration government of North Macedonia,” he added.
The integration of those countries “is in the economic as well as political and security interest of Hungary”, he said.
Hungarian investments in the region have reached 2.5 billion euros and trade has grown four-fold since 2010, to over 7 billion euros, he said.
Hungary is also aiding the process by sending experts and by training officials to navigate “the complicated accession process”, he said.
Szijjártó said central Europe and the Western Balkans could be a “bridge” between East and West, much needed “for a return to East-West cooperation based on mutual respect, which could show the way out of the current turbulent era riddled with crises.” Hungary is ready to take on that role and to support Western Balkans states in acting similarly, he added.
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Meeting of the Hungarian political parties beyond the borders in Croatia
Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, stressed the importance of unified thinking on matters affecting ethnic Hungarians at a meeting of the leaders of Hungarian political parties beyond the borders in Rijeka on Saturday.
Potápi told MTI that the purpose of the forum was to show people that the sides fostered friendly ties in addition to their contact in the political sphere. As Hungarians have been separated by borders, he said the strength of the system of political institutions needed to be bolstered to ensure unified thinking as well as support for each other, regardless of the region.
He added that roundtable talks of the kind in Rijeka could serve as a “mentor programme” for sharing experience.
The sides expressed solidarity with the Hungarians in Transcarpathia, in the west of Ukraine, he said.
Participants at the forum, hosted by the Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia (HMDK), included Hunor Kelemen, the head of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ); Bálint Pásztor, who heads the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ); László Brenzovics, the head of the Cultural Alliance of Hungarians in Sub-Carpathia (KMKSZ); Krisztián Forró, the leader of Slovakia’s Hungarian Alliance party; Róbert Jankovics, the head of HMDK; and Dusan Orban, the leader of the Prekmurje Hungarian Local Government Ethnic Community (MMÖNK).
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Charges brought against 13 Hungarian and Romanian members of human trafficking gang
People smuggling charges have been brought against 13 Hungarian and Romanian nationals who as members of an international organised ring were allegedly involved in arranging for the illegal transport of more than 350 foreign nationals to western Europe, the chief public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. One instance claimed the life of an Indian national, it added.
Charges brought against members of human trafficking ring
According to the indictment, the ring led by a Romanian man arranged for the transport of foreigners first by plane to Serbia and smuggled them later on in vans through Hungary and Austria to final destinations in western Europe, the office said in a statement.
The fatality occurred in Aug 2022 in Budapest’s 9th district when the Indian man was one of the 20 illegal migrants jammed in a van that had no ventilation.
Most of the suspects are in custody over charges of people smuggling and torturing humans and face prison terms or a fine and expulsion from Hungary.
The Romanian ring leader is facing a legal procedure by the Romanian authorities, according to the statement.
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The Orbán cabinet rejects UN resolution about Srebrenica, Serbian leaders praises Hungary
The Hungarian government representative did not support the United Nations General Assembly’s recent resolution designating July 11 as the “International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica” fearing that it could revive serious conflicts posing a danger to the Western Balkans region, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in Nyíregyháza, on Friday.
“There is no question that what happened in Srebrenica was an incredibly sad, tragic event… Every effort must be made to prevent that such a horrendous act should occur again anywhere in the world,” he said, according to a foreign ministry statement.
“But that was not the question. The question is whether, thirty years later, such a decision today will contribute to maintaining peace in the Western Balkans, or, on the contrary, could trigger conflicts that could pose a danger to the entire region, including Hungary,” Szijjártó said, calling the timing of the resolution “unfortunate”.
He noted that in Thursday’s vote, 19 UN member states rejected the resolution and another 68 abstained while 84 supported it. “This means that out of the 193 UN member states, 84 voted in favour which is the minority of the member states,” Szijjártó said.
On 15 May, Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a joint press conference with Szijjártó and said Hungary understood the Balkans the best and he was happy that Budapest would lead the European Council from this June.
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Hungarian minister: no to Srebrenica, no to Kosovo!
Hungary considers its alliance with Serbia “an invaluable asset”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart in Budapest on Friday.
Szijjártó said friendship and mutual respect were “invaluable” in light of the heightened tensions in the region, noting the war in Ukraine and the assassination attempt against Slovakia’s prime minister.
He welcomed that his Serbian counterpart, Marko Djuric, had made Budapest his first destination for an official visit following his appointment.
Szijjártó praised the “great developments” seen between Hungary and Serbia in recent years, highlighting that of all of Hungary’s neighbours, Serbia guaranteed the most rights to its ethnic Hungarian minority, even including Vojvodina Hungarians in the country’s governance.
“The security of Hungary’s energy supply is in Serbia’s hands,” he said, noting that Hungary’s gas supply went through Serbia, and “we can always sleep easy regarding the transit.”
He noted that Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia had started operating a joint regional electricity exchange, which had given a further boost to energy security, and had also been “an excellent measure” against rising prices.
Europe’s most modern border crossing point
Hungary and Serbia, he said, would build an oil pipeline linking their countries, as well as “Europe’s most modern border crossing point” at Röszke. We detailed that project HERE. He said they were aiming to complete the construction of the railway line linking Budapest and Belgrade by the end of next year, and that Hungary would continue to store gas on Serbia’s behalf.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó said that during its presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of the year, Hungary would bring Serbia closer to EU membership and had a clear goal of opening the third EU accession chapter with the country.
He said Hungary considered it “unacceptable, unfair and humiliating” that the EU had been making Serbia wait for 15 years now when in its “declining shape” the bloc “needs the momentum Serbia would guarantee more than Serbians need EU membership”. He called on EU member states to “end their hypocrisy and come clean on why they’ve put obstacles in the way of the progress of Serbia’s accession”.
No to Srebrenica, no to Kosovo
Szijjártó also touched on next Thursday’s scheduled UN General Assembly vote on a resolution “seeking to demonise the entire Serb nation” in connection with the Srebrenica massacre. Hungary will vote against the resolution, he said, adding that it would also vote against Kosovo joining the Council of Europe. Szijjártó said it was necessary to “wait until the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina proves successful, and only then will it be worthwhile for Kosovo to apply to join international organisations”.
First visit to Hungary
Djuric called it an “honour” that he had been able to start seeing to his official duties with a visit to Hungary, “reaffirming the excellent relationship Serbia and Hungary have built in recent years, which is a great joy for both nations”.
He said Hungary’s accomplishments in protecting its national interests and economic growth were “inspiring” to Serbia
He welcomed that Hungary was next in line to take over the EU’s rotating presidency, saying it would give Serbia and the entire region “a reliable partner” and that he expected Hungary to be a leader that would assume responsibility for European interests.
Djuric thanked Hungary for its support in connection with the UN resolution, pointing out that “the opening up of old wounds by certain political circles” had created tensions in the region among Serbs, Croats and Bosnians. Hungary, he said, supported stability on this issue as well, adding that this was “a responsible approach”.
Read also:
- Orbán: Development of Balkans in Hungary’s interest – Read more HERE
- PACE: ‘CoE ignores own principle in connection with Kosovo’s membership’, says Hungarian politican
Budapest-Belgrade railway line: Construction resumes, date of the Hungarian section’s completion out
Track construction work has resumed on the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line after the Sino-Hungarian construction team halted it last September, according to a 9 May article on China’s state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN). In an interview, Viktor Orbán also revealed when the Hungarian section will be completed.
Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line
After Telex and Daily News Hungary reported last September that there were serious problems with the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, Chinese state-owned CGTN has now announced that construction has resumed.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave an interview to CGTN. In it, he shared that
the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line will be completed in 2026, and traffic will start in that year.
In response to a question from the reporter, he said that he was absolutely certain that the line would start in 2026.
Orbán also revealed that Hungary will seek to improve relations between the EU and China during its EU Presidency, Világgazdaság writes based on the interview.
Background of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line
The foundation stone for the reconstruction was laid in October 2021.
The project is worth around EUR 1.7 billion, 85% of which is financed by a fixed-rate loan from China, with the remaining 15% financed by the Hungarian state from its own resources, Világgazdaság writes.
After construction, it will take 2 hours and 40 minutes to cover the distance between the Serbian and Hungarian capitals.
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Szijjártó at Belgrade Energy Forum: Energy policy ‘must be freed from ideological debates, hypocrisy’
Governments have the duty to guarantee energy security while considering environmental factors, the foreign minister said in Belgrade on Monday, adding it was a “serious problem” that energy policy had been “taken hostage by ideological debates and hypocrisy”.
Szijjártó at Belgrade Energy Forum
Speaking at the Belgrade Energy Forum, Péter Szijjártó said responsible energy policy considered both supply security and environmental aspects, according to a ministry statement. European Union sanctions against Russia were an example of energy policy being moored to ideological debates, he said.
While western European countries “proudly declare that they have freed themselves from Russian crude in the past few years”, Europe had become the largest buyer of Indian crude, he said. Meanwhile, the share of Russian crude imports to India had jumped from 0.5 percent to 35 percent, he said, adding that most LNG coming to western Europe also derived from Russia.
The EU, he said, did not support capacity expansions of pipelines in south-eastern Europe on the ground that within 15 years natural gas would not be part of the bloc’s energy mix. But, he added, the national energy mix should remain a competency of member states, and “we must be freed from external pressure and consider national characteristics”.
Hungary’s government regards green policy in terms of “preserving Earth for future generations” rather than as an ideological or political issue, he insisted.
A “responsible, safe, truly carbon neutral future” may be achieved only by expanding nuclear capacities and by speeding up the transition to electric vehicle manufacturing, he said. Hungary will use its upcoming EU presidency to establish a scheme to boost demand in respect of the latter, Szijjártó added.
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Hungary will connect Austria and the Balkans with Chinese help and Europe’s top border crossing
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, announced the building of Europe’s largest border crossing with Serbia and Chinese partners during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Europe’s top border crossing will be in Hungary
Szijjártó announced that the new border crossing will connect Serbia and Hungary, and will be Europe’s biggest, safest and fastest. “The Röszke border crossing is busy. Unfortunately, we are all familiar with photos of long car and truck queues there”, the Hungarian foreign minister added.
A government decree about building a border crossing at the Hungarian-Serbian border appeared on 4 March in the Hungarian Gazette. The decree called ministers concerned to compile a feasibility study for a so-called “Röszke 3” expressway border crossing. Furthermore, the decree requested preparatory works to build a new border crossing at Tompa.
What does this mean?
The M5 motorway leaves Hungary to Serbia at the Röszke border crossing. Röszke 2 is for those who do not want to travel from or to Serbia on motorway. The government aims to create a Röszke 3, another motorway border crossing.
Tompa does not have a motorway connection, and Telex suspects the Orbán cabinet would like to extend the Hungarian expressway system there. The Hungarian news outlet found out how.
Currently, the M5 motorway is one of the busiest in Hungary, giving place for transit between Western Europe and the Balkans. János Lázár, Hungary’s construction and transport minister, terminated more than 270 construction projects in 2023. Later, he gave the green light to 24. Two are expressway constructions. They aim to connect Serbia with Hungary’s least busy motorway, the M6.
New connection between Austria and the Balkans
The M6 connects Pécs with Budapest, but the traffic is not significant, since it leads to East Croatia. The Orbán cabinet now seems to work on diverting at least part of the Western Balkans traffic (goods and guest workers) to that expressway, which is why Tompa is so important. Tompa is not far from Szabadka, a Hungarian-majority city in Northern Serbia, where trucks and cars can continue their journey on Serbia’s busiest expressway, the A1.
The development would establish an alternative route between Serbia and Austria without placing an unbearable burden on Hungary’s M5 motorway.
According to Telex, one of the disadvantages of Hungary’s road system is that every motorway leads to Budapest’s ring road, the M0. The government should build East-West motorways, but such ambitions are not part of the short-term plans.
Read also:
- The longest transit route in Hungary: Latest advancements in the M9 motorway project – Read more HERE
- Gigantic motorway renovation wave in Hungary: 2 major motorways concerned
Budapest-Belgrade railway: Construction reaches new milestone
As part of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, Serbia will complete the construction of the more than 180-kilometre Belgrade-Subotica railway section by the end of 2024. Construction of the Novi Sad-Subotica section is already 80% complete.
Budapest-Belgrade railway construction at new milestone
Track-laying works on the 108-kilometre section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line between Novi Sad and Subotica were completed on Thursday, China Railway said in a press release sent to Global Times. Upon completion of works, the results of dynamic tests showed that trains on the Novi Sad section could reach a top speed of 200 kilometres per hour, the company said,
noting that the railway could be operational by the end of the year,
Hungarian section to soon be completed
Earlier, Daily News Hungary reported that if all goes well, the construction of the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway, the complete renovation of line 150, will soon be completed. This would mean that the distance between the Serbian and Hungarian capitals would be covered in 2 hours 40 minutes. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said, “We are confident that our Hungarian friends will finish on the Hungarian side by the end of 2025 or February-March 2026”.
The Serbian president said last October that the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line could be completed by summer 2026 at the latest.
In its first year of operation, the completed section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad carried nearly 3 million passengers. Trains can now travel at speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, Világgazdaság writes. According to Global Times, in March, the Chinese-built Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway marked its 2nd anniversary. The railway has transported over 7 million people between Serbia’s two largest cities since its operation started in 2022.
According to China Railway, the north-south Hungary-Serbia railway is a double-track electrified railway with a total length of 341.7 kilometers, including 183.1 kilometers in Serbia, with a designed maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour. There are 158.6 kilometers in Hungary, with a designed maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour.
Long-distance trains within Hungary are expected to see a one-hour reduction in travel time between Budapest and Kelebia, while suburban passengers can anticipate up to a 20-minute decrease in journey time to Kunszentmiklós-Tass. Additionally, plans are underway to shorten the Budapest-Vienna train journey to just 2 hours by 2025-2026, making it possible to travel from Belgrade to Vienna in less than 5 hours via a fixed route.
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PACE: ‘CoE ignores own principle in connection with Kosovo’s membership’, says Hungarian politican
On Tuesday, Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said that since the Council of Europe ignores its own principles in connection with Kosovo’s accession to the body, Hungary cannot support a related proposal.
Németh is attending the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that is set to vote on a report recommending Kosovo’s CoE membership in the evening.
He told MTI by phone that although Hungary highly appreciated Kosovo’s achievements over the past decades, its delegation to the assembly would vote against the proposal on that country’s accession.
“Kosovo has failed to deliver on its pledges, one of which was to ensure Serbia’s territorial autonomy,”
Németh said, adding that as a result, “tension prevails in Kosovo’s domestic politics”.
It is in Hungary’s interest that “Kosovo should enter the international community as a strong democracy,” he said.
As we wrote a few days ago, the Hungarian foreign minister chose between Serbia and Kosovo, details HERE.
- read also: PM Orbán gets controversial award in Bosnia: Croatians, Bosnians may be outraged, details HERE
Hungarian foreign minister chose between Serbia and Kosovo
Hungary is doing everything possible to speed up the process of Serbia’s European Union integration, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said after a phone call with Ivica Dacic, his Serbian counterpart, on Saturday.
Hungary and Serbia both have an interest in peace and stability in the Western Balkans, Szijjártó said on Facebook, adding that Hungary considered Serbia the key country in the region in this respect. “That is why we are doing everything in the interest of speeding up the process of Serbia’s European Union integration,” he said.
Hungary’s interests lie in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina being successful, Szijjártó said, adding, at the same time, that Hungary believed Kosovo’s intention to join international organisations was not helping this process. Szijjártó said he had reaffirmed to Dacic that Hungary did not support Kosovo’s applications to international organisations until Belgrade-Pristina ties were settled.
Hungary will therefore vote against Kosovo’s Council of Europe membership in the CoE Committee of Ministers, and it will not support any proposal in the United Nations that would increase tensions in the Western Balkans, Szijjártó said.
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Hungary-Slovenia-Serbia regional electricity exchange deal inked
A joint Hungary-Slovenia-Serbia electricity exchange can start operating from the second half of the year, boosting the security of supply for all the countries involved, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said after the relevant deal was signed in Budapest on Tuesday.
Today’s agreement was “excellent news”, Szijjártó said at a joint press conference held with Serbian energy state secretary Veljko Kovacevic and Slovenian energy minister Bojan Kumer, after the signing of the BlueSky Project.
He said security of supply would strengthen, making trade in electricity between the countries “fast and barrier-free.” The deal also creates a larger market with a favourable impact on prices, he added.
He said the deal concerned cooperation between EU member states and an EU candidate country, “so we have taken another step in the direction of realising the energy integration” of the Western Balkans into the EU.
The minister noted that
a German-French energy exchange company backed the initiative, guaranteeing that the system would always be up to date.
He said nuclear energy most efficiently served Hungary’s electricity supply, which is why the government had decided to expand capacities.
He also referred to expanding solar power capacities, which he said had grown eightfold in the last five years.
“Our goal is to create energy systems in the region that are as integrated as possible,”
he said, emphasising electricity supply, as demand was expected to increase by 50% in central Europe by 2030.
Read also:
- Government-close media outraged by USA saying Orbán keeps Hungary in Russian gas dependence, details HERE
- Hungary to be in the top 5 in green energy storage worldwide by 2030, says official
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PM Orbán gets controversial award in Bosnia: Croatians, Bosnians may be outraged – UPDATED
Borjana Kristo, Bosnia’s prime minister, met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss Bosnia-Herzegovina’s EU integration in Sarajevo in Thursday, the Bosnian government has said on its website.
Kristo highlighted good cooperation between two friendly countries, according to a statement. She welcomed the work of the mixed economic committee, saying there was “room and demand” for expansion of bilateral trade.
The Bosnian prime minister thanked Orbán and the Hungarian diplomacy “for the firm and unconditional support to Sarajevo on its road to Europe”.
At the end of the talks, Kristo highlighted the need to continue good economic cooperation between the two countries.
Hungarian and international press wrote that Orbán would receive “the Order of Republika Srpska during his visit to Bosnia on Thursday and Friday, joining Vladimir Putin in the recipients’ club.” The decoration is the top award of the Republika Srpska, RS, the country’s Serb-dominated entity. The Order of Republika Srbska is an award commemorating the foundation of the RS, so Bosnians and Croatians might be outraged if Orbán accepts it. In 2023, President Putin got it.
“We have very concrete projects, and we have concrete conversations about how we cooperate and respect the leadership that Orbán has shown,” Dodik said in a post. “He is one of the strongest European leaders now within the European Union and… it is an honour for us,” he added as reported by Balkan Insight.
UPDATE: Orbán pledges continued support to Bosnian Serbs
Bosnia’s Serb community can rely on Hungary’s continued support as “the two nations depend on each other”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Banja Luka where he was presented a state award on Friday.
Orbán received the Order of Merit of the Republika Srpska from Milorad Dodik, the president of the autonomous Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Orbán said it was an honour to receive the award, “an expression of friendship, trust and mutual optimism for the future”.
Speaking of the European Union, he said the bloc “lacks the recognition that it needs Serbs, that there is no European security and stability, and no healthy European Union without Serbs”.
He called international politics “unfair and demeaning to Serbs” and said he had always stood up for them in international forums.
“While the EU has a lot of problems, there is currently no better international framework for nations to grow stronger,” he said.
During its EU presidency starting on July 1, Orbán said Hungary would appoint a team dedicated to issues connected to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The decision on Bosnia and Serbia’s integration should have been made long ago; that decision was “pushed to the back seat by the fever dream of an enlargement in the East,” he added.
He said Hungary stood by concluding the enlargement procedure in the Western Balkans and then moving on to “the more difficult and complicated eastern issue”.
Orbán also objected to what he called attempts to influence Bosnian issues from abroad. “The procedure could lose momentum and lead to a political crisis, devaluing Europe’s work.” Foreign influence is “bad for everyone, for Europe, the Serbs and Bosnia”, he said.
Hungary sees the Western Balkans as a region “with a great future”, and important investment opportunities in the Republika Srpska, he said.
He praised bilateral ties between the two countries, including financial cooperation and an agricultural support scheme.
In his laudation, Dodik said that the honour, presented on the occasion of the Day of Bosnia’s Serb Republic, was given to the Hungarian prime minister in recognition of his achievements in developing bilateral relations. He highlighted the friendship between the two nations and thanked Orbán for his continued support.
Dodik said they would strive for “expanding cooperation on a personal level” in universities, sports and tourism.
He called Hungary an example in its approach to the family and in preserving a traditional society.
“Europe needs strong leaders such as Viktor Orbán,” he said, and thanked him for “standing up for a fairer world”.
On Thursday, Orbán met Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo, and the leaders of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country’s other entity. He discusses improving bilateral ties and current European issues with Denis Becirovic, the Bosnian and Zeljko Komsic, the Croatian member of the Federation’s leadership. Kristo thanked Orbán for his “unwavering support to Sarajevo’s EU integration” and called for further economic cooperation.
UPDATE: Hungarian foreign minister says Hungary, Republika Sprska economic ties ‘unhindered by contested political issues’
There are no contested political issues between Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s autonomous Serbian Republic, and so nothing stands in the way of developing economic ties, Hungary’s foreign minister said in Banja Luka on Friday. In his opening speech at a business forum organised by Hungary and the Republika Sprska, Peter Szijjarto said recent years had been “unpredictable” due to consecutive crises.
“In such times, the importance of reliable cooperation grows such as the economic, trade and inter-corporation cooperation between Hungary and the Republika Sprska,” he said.
The 24 Hungarian companies who had 32 representatives attending the forum were working with cutting-edge technology and had “ample references and experience,” Szijjarto said. They could greatly contribute to the economic prosperity and technological development of the Republika Sprska, he added.
The companies represented at the forum were working with cutting-edge technology in water management, sustainable energy production, agriculture and machine manufacturing, Szijjarto said.
Read also:
- Hungary helps Bosnia and Herzegovina become an EU member – Read more HERE
- Hungary-Bosnia will deepen military cooperation
Budapest Balkan Forum 2024 has started – UPDATE
The two-day Budapest Balkans Forum 2024, organised by the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs, started on Tuesday. This year, it will focus on energy and the Western Balkans.
After the opening speech by Márton Schőberl, CEO of the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Affairs, two Hungarian ministers, János Bóka, Minister for European Union Affairs of Hungary, and Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Minister of Defence of Hungary, expressed their views on the Balkans’ importance, ethnic and security issues of stability, and the relationship between the EU and the Balkans.
Bóka: Balkans ‘has always been part of Europe’
The natural resources of the Western Balkans have been crucial in terms of Hungary’s energy security, János Bóka, the European affairs minister, said at the international Budapest Balkans Forum.
Referring to Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, Bóka said its priorities would include promoting the EU integration of the Western Balkans. The EU “is not as strong in the Balkans as it could be; this is why we want to put the region in the limelight,” the minister said.
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the minister of defence, who also participated in the forum, said the Western Balkans was going through a process of stabilisation, but also noted “tensions under the surface that could lead to further friction”.
Stability in the region is highly important for Hungary, he said, and noted Hungary’s presence in NATO’s KFOR mission.
After a short break, a Ministerial roundtable entitled “Securing energy, Energizing security” was held:
- Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
- Ahmet Berat Çonkar, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye
- Dubravka Đedović, Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia
- Igli Hasani, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania
Szijjártó: Energy security must not depend on political, ideological whim
Hungary refuses to imperil its energy supply by giving in to any political or ideological whim, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Tuesday.
Addressing the 9th Budapest Balkans Forum, Szijjártó said the Balkan region was vital to Europe’s energy security, adding that supply should be regarded as a physical rather than an ideological issue.
He said diversification would remain a pipedream unless words were followed by action.
He said that Hungary would gladly buy crude oil or natural gas from new sources, but the infrastructure had yet to be built, so existing suppliers and transit routes must be relied on.
The minister said existing suppliers should be supplemented by new sources in the diversification process rather than replaced.
Szijjártó praised the price and predictability of current gas supply and expressed appreciation for Serbia and Turkiye as “reliable transit countries”.
He said adding European infrastructure on the South-East axis would be necessary. Still, the European Commission “doesn’t want to provide financial support for this”, arguing that gas would no longer be part of the energy mix in 15 years’ time.
“Who knows what will happen in fifteen years?” he said. But in the meantime, “we don’t want to freeze, and we want to keep our industry going,” he added.
Szijjártó said increasing LNG imports did not depend on Hungary alone but on expanding Balkan capacities.
Regarding sustainable energy production, he said Hungary favored protecting the environment but rejected any attempt to form a political or ideological monopoly over green policymaking. He added that preserving the planet for future generations should be treated as a practical matter rather than approached ideologically.
Also, protecting the environment must go hand in hand with boosting competitiveness, he said.
Szijjártó said Hungary was focusing on developing solar and nuclear energy. The government wants to double the 6,000 MG of solar capacity that is now available, while the Paks nuclear plant expansion would entail reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by 17 million tonnes.
As we wrote today, Rosatom’s chief negotiates in Hungary
Read here Budapest Balkan Forum Agenda
FM Szijjártó: Hungary-Serbia relations at historic best
Hungary-Serbia relations are at their historic best, as ethnic Hungarian communities beyond the borders represent a resource in cooperation with neighbouring countries, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó telling a press conference after meeting Bálint Pásztor, head of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ), that ethnic Hungarians were a focus point for Hungary’s foreign policy. This is why an ethnic Hungarian community leader gets invited to the meeting of ambassadors every year, which has been the case also this year, the foreign minister said.
He congratulated Pasztor on his party’s performance at the elections in Serbia in December and said the results represented a great achievement, especially in the current period full of challenges.
“Serbia, Vojvodina and the VMSZ prove together that it is a correct foreign policy strategy to develop as good relations with neighbouring countries as possible,” said Szijjártó. “Because the better the relations are with a neighbouring country, the better the situation of ethnic Hungarians living there will be,” he added.
Hungarians in Serbia
“Vojvodina Hungarians are proof that it is correct to consider Hungarian communities beyond the borders as a resource in building good bilateral relations,” Szijjártó said.
He said that in planning its foreign policy strategy, the government always gives priority to building good relations with neighbouring states and always stands up for ethnic Hungarian communities living there.
The foreign minister highlighted VMSZ’s role in developing Hungarian-Serbian cooperation, pointing out the alliance’s proposal on a comprehensive economic development programme in Serbia’s northernmost region. He noted that the Hungarian government has so far supported 14,000 local businesses with 80 billion forints (EUR 203m) that has generated investments worth 170 billion forints, and pledged the continuation of the programme.
Szijjártó said that cross-border infrastructure also played an important role in bilateral relations, which is why on VMSZ’s request a decision had been made to keep the Roszke-Horgos 2 border crossing open 24 hours a day. Additionally, the development of a border crossing at Hercegszanto will be started in the near future, with the help of Interreg resources, he said.
Szijjártó also said that during the upcoming EU presidency, Hungary’s government will focus on speeding up EU enlargement and fighting illegal migration.
“Hungary has always stood on Serbia’s side when it comes to EU enlargement, and would like to have Serbia as a member of the EU as soon as possible, which would also serve the interest of Vojvodina Hungarians,” he said.
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PM Orbán met with his Balkans ally
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán travelled to Belgrade on Saturday, for talks with President Aleksandar Vucic, Orbán’s press chief said.
They will discuss the war in Ukraine, the Western Balkans’ European integration and national sovereignty, Bertalan Havasi said.
Orbán meets Congo president in Antalya
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had talks with Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, the president of Congo, in Antalya on Saturday, according to information from the PM’s press chief.
The talks focused on further developing bilateral ties, with regard to promoting Hungarian investment in Congo, Bertalan Havasi said.
At the talks, Orbán noted that the Hungary Helps programme had aided Congo with a total 2.4 million dollars in 14 health, education, and welfare projects since 2018.
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Wizz Air surprises passengers with amazing spring price reduction
The Hungarian low-cost airline announced six new flights to European destinations from Budapest this week. Now, it is presenting a spring discount concerning luggage, seat selection, and Wizz Priority.
According to utazomajom.hu, a Hungarian travel news outlet, Wizz Air set checked-in baggage cost to EUR 9, the lowest price ever. In addition, passengers who travel before 26 March can buy additional services like seat selection and Wizz Priority for a reduced price.
The Hungarian low-cost airline planned the offer to last only 1-2 days. However, it became so popular that they chose to prolong it.
Zsuzsa Trubek, the communications manager of Wizz Air, said they would like to make flying affordable for more people.
Therefore, the special offer will last for one month. Moreover, the action is available for passengers who already have a ticket for a journey between 1 and 26 March. For example, they can add checked-in baggage for only EUR 9. Unfortunately, passengers who already settled their baggage bill and travel in the given period cannot reduce their costs with this offer.
The cheaper services included in the special offer are available via the airline’s website and app.
Since Wizz Air’s pricing system is dynamic concerning baggage, the costs may skyrocket in the summer.
Wizz Air receives bomb threat in Belgrade
Wizz Air’s Airbus A320 aircraft received an anonymous threat after it started take-off preparations on the runway. As a result, the plane was evacuated via the emergency slides. The airline said, “the aircraft immediately returned to a remote location at Belgrade Airport where all passengers were safely evacuated. Passengers have been transferred to the terminal and provided with refreshments. The authorities are undertaking necessary checks in line with protocol. The safety of passengers and crew is of Wizz Air’s utmost priority”.
Serbian police and emergency services scanned the aircraft but found nothing.
Because of the bomb threat, Belgrade Airport was closed for several hours.
Below are two videos of the evacuation:
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
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High-speed railway to link Budapest and Athens
Athens has also joined the high-speed train project from Budapest to the south. This will extend the railway linking the Hungarian capital to the Serbian capital in the first phase to 1,500 kilometres.
“Historic victory”
According to the Tanjug news agency, the Serbian transport minister called the agreement between President Aleksandar Vučić and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to extend the European Corridor X to Greece a “historic victory”, Index reports.
The Hungarian government had recently hoped that the first section of the line (between Budapest and Belgrade) would be completed next year. Serbia was a little more realistic, putting 2026 as the likely delivery date.
Prior to the signing of the Serbian-Greek agreement, Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić guided his Greek counterpart, Christos Staikouras, along the section under construction, Blic reported.
The journey on the Falcon (Sokol) took just over half an hour to Novi Sad, 76 kilometres from Belgrade. From there, it will take a further 108 kilometres to reach Subotica, near the Hungarian border.
Belgrade-Budapest in 2027
This phase will be completed by March next year, said Vesić. He also announced a new deadline change:
From Belgrade to Budapest, we will be able to travel by train in less than 4 hours in 2027.
The renovation of the Hungarian section of the line is the most expensive Hungarian railway investment of all time. The original budget of EUR 400 billion was already estimated at EUR 750 billion at the start of the project. It is almost certain that the final price will be even higher, despite the fact that the renovation will be carried out on a flat section, Index wrote. In addition, the bulk of the renovation costs, 85%, will have to be financed by a Chinese loan.
Budapest-Athens in 13 hours
Once the renovation and construction work is completed, a 1,512-kilometre high-speed railway will link Budapest and Athens.
It will take just under 13 hours to get from Budapest to the Greek capital by train.
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