Serbia and Hungary Form Strategic Council for Coop

PHOTO: BETA/SLOBODAN MILJEVIC

The Hungarian and Serbian presidents, Katalin Novak and Aleksandar Vucic respectively, in Palic (near Subotica) on June 20 signed a joint statement to establish a Strategic Council got Cooperation between Belgrade and Budapest.

After the first Council’s session in Palic, attended by the Hungarian and Serbian prime ministers, Viktor Orban and Ana Brnabic, and the two governments’ ministers, a total of 12 bilateral collaboration documents were signed, including the Memorandum of Understanding on building an oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia, the Agreement on setting up a joint venture for gas trade, a limited liability company Serbhungas headquartered in Novi Sad, and the Agreement on the exchange and mutual protection of confidential data.

Vucic said the signed bilateral agreement on collaboration in the defense and security fields demonstrated “the closest ties” between the two countries, and thanked Hungary’s representatives who had always backed Serbia in the EU institutions.

“Whatever happens, I know that the Hungarians will stay on our side and show respect to Serbian friends, while we will be loyal and sincere friends,” Vucic told a joint news conference.

Novak said that the Serbians and Hungarians “are the two sovereign nations who respect each other,” adding that there existed will and concrete plans for cooperation.

Novak also said that Belgrade could count on Budapest’s support in regard to Serbia’s EU integration, stressing that the Western Balkans must not be neglected due to the war in Ukraine and that everything had to be done to keep the region stable.