Orban: “The EU needs Serbia more than Serbia needs the EU”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban led a government delegation to Serbia, where he met with the country's President Aleksandar Vucic.
The President of Serbia presented the Order of the Serbian Flag, first class, to a member of the delegation, the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Peter Szijjártó, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Vučić and Orban spoke face to face in Belgrade, and then held a plenary meeting of the delegations of the two countries.
“We were accepted into the EU, and we were a central country, so I understand Serbia and I think that it should be accepted into the EU, because it is the central country of the Western Balkans, without which joining the EU there will be no way for others,” Orban said at a press conference following the meeting. “Serbia is a key country.”
Also, according to the Hungarian guest, the EU’s interest in Serbia’s membership is much greater than that of Serbia itself in membership in the European Union. Viktor Orbán added that Serbia can always count on Hungary, just as Hungary can always count on Serbia.
“Many say they support Serbia’s path to the EU, but few act boldly and openly, and are ready to endure criticism because of Serbia, like you,” replied Hungarian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.
The Serbian President noted that Hungary was Serbia's 13th, then 11th and 9th trading partners, and today it is the fifth. Also, according to him, more and more companies are appearing in both countries that export to Hungary and import Hungarian products.
In addition, Vucic noted that the Belgrade-Novi Sad railway, part of the high-speed railway to Budapest, will be completed by the end of the year, and work on the remaining sections from Novi Sad to Subotica will begin in September.
“By the end of the year we will completely complete the section from Belgrade to Novi Sad. This is the most difficult section of the railway from Belgrade to Budapest due to the crossing of the Danube, the Cortanovac loop, as well as the many problems of laying tracks through the cities. But I expect that upon completion of the work, I will invite the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, to Belgrade, and together we will travel from Belgrade to Novi Sad by train at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour.”
Aleksandar Vucic also presented Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó with the Order of the Serbian Flag, First Class, for his special services in developing and strengthening cooperation and friendly relations between Serbia and Hungary. He, in turn, replied that such an award was a great honor for him.
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