Viktor Orban (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Nov. 17 that, although a free trade deal between Serbia and China would be incompatible with membership in the European Union, Belgrade was entitled to work both sides of the street.
Speaking at a conference of South East European parliament speakers in Budapest, Orban said there was a group within the EU which considered enlargement a problem, the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation reported. He added that for Hungary, EU enlargement had always been a possibility and something that had to be done.
"If we do not integrate this South East European region, others will want to. We didn't admit Serbia and others have come forward, and now they have deals with China," the Hungarian prime minister said, adding that the Ukraine-Russia war was generating uncertainty within the EU about enlargement.
"We Hungarians are ready to pay whatever is needed for the integration of the Western Balkans. You can count on us in making the South East region a member as soon as possible," Orban said.
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