"The Hungarian Government respects Serbs living in Hungary, who form an important and valuable community", Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on Friday following a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić in Budapest.

At their meeting, they discussed the possibility of opening new border crossings between the two countries and launched the preparations for a Serbian-Hungarian intergovernmental summit. According to plans, the Serbian-Hungarian Economic Joint Committee will also restart its work in December.

Prime Minister Orbán stated that his government supports and is assisting Serbia’s European integration, since it is in Hungary’s interest that all its neighbours become part of the European Union. He added that Serbians in Hungary form an important and valuable community, and are respected by the government, which continues be happy to consider their viewpoints and requests.

Serbian Prime Minister Dačić highlighted that, in part thanks to the decrease in the number of nationality-based conflicts, there is a good relationship between the representatives of Hungarians in Vojvodina and Serbian institutions.

Prime Minister Orbán also spoke about the European Union winning the Nobel Peace Prize, stating that it shows how peaceful coexistence may be accomplished in territories destroyed by two world wars. This is an acknowledgment for an ideology, he said, as the EU represents the opportunity of establishing a unique cooperation between nations that were previously in conflict with each other, based on common interests alongside national interests. The Hungarian Prime Minister also highlighted that the founders should also be mentioned, since an organisation such as the EU seems natural today, but establishing it required courage and determination, and therefore they are the ones who deserve the prize.

(Prime Minister’s Office)