Djuric meets with Szijjarto, says here is no closer friend to Serbia than our Hungarian friends

Photo: TANJUG/ DEJAN ZIVANCEVIC/ bg

Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said today that Serbia has no closer and better friend than the Hungarians, adding that cooperation between the two countries has become the best possible example of European cooperation and improvement of bilateral relations over the years.

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During a joint news conference with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, Djuric said that they also discussed ways to speed up the construction of new oil and gas pipelines that would ensure greater energy security for both countries in these difficult times.

"It is clear that in the times we live in, we cannot depend on only one supply route, and if we want to create good economic conditions, this is a necessary precondition," Djuric said.

He noted that in such a challenging period there is a clear need to strengthen and expand communication and connections between the two countries, both in the energy sector and in the movement of people between in terms of traffic and transport.

Djuric also stated that cooperation between the diplomatic networks of Serbia and Hungary must be strengthened.

"Given that our relations are strategic in nature, and that political alignment is at a historic high, it is only logical to deepen cooperation in this area as well," he said.

According to Djuric, it is necessary to improve cross-border circulation and increase cargo transport capacity at the crossings.

What is especially important, he stressed, is that Hungary shows great understanding for Serbia's EU integration process and for issues concerning the status and rights of Serbs in the region - "and does this fully in line with Brussels and Dayton agreements."

“We are extremely grateful for that. And once again, I want to thank our Hungarian friends for the excellent relations between our ethnic communities. To me, the way the Hungarian state treats the Serb community in Hungary is a fantastic example, and we are working hard to further strengthen and improve the status of the Hungarian community and the Hungarian people in Serbia, honoring the memory of Istvan Pasztor," he said.

He added that today Serbia and Hungary enjoy "truly brotherly relations between their national minorities."

Djuric expressed great appreciation for the deepening of relations between the two countries, crediting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as well as Szijjarto himself, who Djuric said has worked intensively and tirelessly over the years to advance bilateral ties.

The minister noted that here are several reasons for today's meeting, one of them being multilateral: a session of the Central European Initiative (that is being held in Belgrade), an organization where both Hungary and Serbia are members, and through which the two countries have been contributing to regional cooperation for 35 years.

The foreign ministers of Serbia and Hungary also signed a protocol on the joint use of diplomatic and consular missions in Thessaloniki, Greece.

(Telegraf Biznis/Tanjug)