Zsolt Németh, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declared before the Hungarian Parliamentary Committee for European Affairs that Hungary was committed to continuing EU expansion in the Western Balkans and that it wanted to advance its national interests through the European integration process.

Parliamentary State Secretary Zsolt Németh stated that it was necessary to constantly monitor the accession negotiations between the European Union and the states in the Western Balkans in order to advance Hungarian interests.

Zsolt Németh stressed that the Balkans region was important for Hungary. „We have to find the ways in which we can best assist the Balkans countries [in their integration process]”, the Hungarian State Secretary said, adding that all the six countries in the Western Balkans had a positive attitude towards Hungary.

Zsolt Németh claimed that the European integration of the countries in the Western Balkans was important for the reunification of the European continent. He stressed that Croatia’s upcoming accession to the EU on July 1 was the „engine” of the integration process.

The Hungarian State Secretary said that EU membership and the enlargement process would enhance regional stability in the Balkans, meaning disputes and conflicts could be managed more easily. Zsolt Németh pointed out that the EU must also recognize the importance of these positive effects in the medium term.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)