Serbian, Hungarian defence ministers meet in Budapest

BUDAPEST - Serbian Deputy PM and Defence Minister Milos Vucevic, who is on an official visit to Hungary, met with Hungarian Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Budapest on Friday.

Vucevic expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet with Szalay-Bobrovniczky and discuss concrete topics.

"Today's meetings are a proof of our substantial and fruitful cooperation for both states. What I especially want to point out is that Hungary and Serbia are strategic partners and friends - and more than that," Vucevic noted.

He said Hungary could always count on Serbia as a dependable partner in the Balkans and southeastern Europe.

He thanked Hungary and its government for supporting Serbia on its European path.

"We share common values. We believe in the same Europe. We believe in a Europe that has its tradition, history, as well as its future," Vucevic noted.

He noted that a new chapter of cooperation had been opened in the defence sector to address concrete matters in line with strategic agreements between Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

"We stand ready to cooperate with Hungary on all matters of joint interest when it comes to security and defence while, of course, respecting the fact Hungary is a part of the NATO alliance and that Serbia has declared military neutrality," Vucevic said.

He noted that he was especially satisfied with the process of implementing strategic agreements, including when it comes to Serbia's purchases of "very useful arms and military equipment" from Hungary as well as its deliveries of defence industry products required by the Hungarian army.

Vucevic said he had informed the Hungarian minister of violations of international law and UNSCR 1244 in Kosovo-Metohija.

He thanked Hungary for its contribution to Kfor and for helping the survival of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, and wished good luck to the new commander of the international forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who comes from Hungary.

He said he hoped only political issues - rather than issues of security, war and peace - would be discussed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Serbia was a prominent and a strategic partner of Hungary and that the two countries had exceptional cooperation in all fields, including in defence and when it comes to their defence policies.

He said top-level political meetings had already become regular and that it could be said the two countries had friendly relations.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted that the governments of Hungary and Serbia had last year signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the defence policy and that cooperation in exchange of military technology and equipment had also begun as part of that.

He also said a working group for that area had been set up at a meeting in Budapest earlier in the day.

The ministers also discussed global political affairs, especially focusing on the Western Balkans region.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary believed the Western Balkans was key for security both in the region and in Europe and that his country was committed to preservation of political stability in the Western Balkans even though it was a region where conflicts were always possible.

He commended the role of Hungarian Kfor troops in Kosovo-Metohija and noted that Hungary would take over the rotating EU presidency in the second half of this year.