Hungary and Serbia have put in place the most successful economic and healthcare responses to the coronavirus pandemic and the economies of both countries have remained strong, said Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó mentionned Friday.

Szijjártó said after a meeting of the Hungarian-Serbian Joint Economic Committee in Belgrade that neither Serbia nor Hungary “saw the vaccine issue as an ideological or geopolitical issue but as a tool to save lives.”

Thanks to the successful vaccination programs, the two countries have recognized each other’s vaccination certificates since the end of April, allowing citizens to move freely between the two countries, he said.

Szijjártó said that while world trade fell 9 percent last year, trade between Hungary and Serbia increased 3 percent, and another 16 percent increase was reported this year.

Thanks to successful vaccination programs, the economy can now change direction, he added.

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“The investments of Hungarian companies in Serbia are at an unprecedented level and the successes of these companies in Serbia contribute to the further growth of the Hungarian economy,” he said.

With this latest acquisition, OTP has become the second largest player in the Serbian banking sector and oil and gas company MOL has a 20% stake in the fuel market, with Hungarian companies’ interest in Serbian investment opportunities remaining strong. , he added.

He said the Hungarian government has provided 20 billion forints (57 million euros) in support to 16 Hungarian companies for making investments in Serbia following the pandemic, and that an economic development program for Vojvodina helps more than 14,000 companies.

He said he had agreed with his Serbian negotiating partner during the visit to Belgrade to further expand ties between the two countries and facilitate border crossings. A rail service between Szeged and Subotica (Szabadka) will be operational next summer and a border post in Hercegszántó will be suitable for the transport of goods, he added.

He noted that an agreement was signed Thursday in St. Petersburg regarding long-term gas supplies from Russia and added that this would mean that large volumes of gas deliveries would be received from Serbia’s leadership in from the end of this year.

He reiterated the position that the European Union needs Serbia and the countries of southern central Europe to join the bloc.

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“Europe has both economic and security interests in welcoming Serbia as a full member of the EU and we will not stop demanding that the EU make sufficient efforts for integration from Serbia, ”he said, adding that the Western Balkans migration route runs through Serbia. and the migration must be stopped.

Serbian Economy Minister Anđelka Atanasković told the press conference that political relations between the two countries were extremely good but there was always room for improvement.

Hungary has been one of Serbia’s top ten trading partners for years and the construction of the Belgrade-Budapest rail line will further contribute to this. She said it was one of the most important infrastructure projects and added that water management, transportation and environmental protection projects have also strengthened the relationship.

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After the meeting of the Joint Economic Committee, Szijjártó and Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović signed a letter of intent aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations and developing a capacity building program for the Western Balkans.

Featured photo via Péter Szijjártó Facebook page