Both Serbia and Hungary are praising mutual ties noting the mutual resolve on Hungarian minority demands in Serbia and looking to deepen economic ties.

“Serbia and Hungary have had ups and downs in the past, but rely on each other today as neighboring countries,” Serbian President Tadic said.

Tadic pointed that “Serbia and Hungary have good cooperation in the defense sector too” and cited the joint engagement in Cyprus.

At a joint news conference with Tadic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Serbia and Hungary have a shared future within the European Union and congratulated Serbia on the setting up of National Minorities Councils.

Orban stressed that Serbs in Hungary enjoy high renown. The two countries will have a future together in the EU, Orban said.

The focused on improving the relations between the two countries included topics on Serbia’s EU integration, Serbia-Hungary cooperation at the regional level, economic cooperation and minority issues.

Prime ministers of Hungary and Serbia both agreed that the existence of minorities – the Serb minority in Hungary and the Hungarian one in Serbia – is a good foundation for the improvement of cooperation, particularly at the cultural level.

Delegations agreed to increase trade among each other to $2 billion from current $260 million. Serbia invited Hungary to invest in Serbia.

Hungarian Minister of Economy Gyorgy Matolcsy expressed expectation that the Hungarian government will initiate EUR 100 million worth of loans with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which will be aimed at implementing joint projects with Serbia.

The loans would be used in the domains of agriculture and transport, and especially in the construction of the Istanbul-Belgrade-Vienna-Budapest railroad along which trains would travel at 200 kilometers per hour.

Serbia said that it was particularly important that Hungary would chair the EU the following year, when the Union should adopt the Danube strategy which is complementary to the two countries’ common objectives.

November 29, 2010
Tanjug
SERBIANNA

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