Due to the geopolitical situation that affects both Serbia and Hungary and the scrapping of the South Stream gas pipeline project, Hungarian-Serbian relations have become more significant, Minister Péter Szijjártó emphasised followng talks with the Serbian Foreign Minister on Wednesday in Belgrade.
Central Europe’s energy security has become a particularly relevant and increasingly pressing issue again, Péter Szijjártó said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade added that he agreed with his Serbian colleague to jointly seek a solution for improving energy security. For this reason, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will visit Budapest in February to continue negotiations.
The frequent meetings between the foreign ministers of the two countries clearly show that the relations between Hungary and Serbia have never been this good, Minister Szijjártó emphasised.
He announced that Hungary continues to be committed to supporting Serbia’s European integration; that is why Budapest delegates its former permanent representative in Brussels, Gábor Iván, to the staff of the chief negotiator concerning Serbia's EU accession.
It was also noted at the press conference that the trade turnover between Hungary and Serbia broke all records in 2013 and grew by 3.5% in the first ten months of 2014.
Minister Szijjártó also said that the Hungarian National Trading House and Hungarian Eximbank will launch their operation in Belgrade soon in order to further strengthen trade and economic cooperation.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced that there seems to be no obstacle to opening the former border crossing point at Röszke to increase cross-border interoperability between the two countries.