Hungary will provide technical support to ensure Serbia’s energy supplies, Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó said following talks with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić on Wednesday.
Szijjártó, who is in Belgrade for the meeting of Central European Initiative (CEI) foreign ministers, said the two sides would finalise technical details of the assistance later on Wednesday.
“We will never leave Serbia alone. Everything within our power will be used to help secure your energy supplies,” Szijjártó told a joint news conference with Đurić. “As Hungary could always count on Serbia for energy matters, Serbia can likewise always count on Hungary.”
Đurić described Hungary as Serbia’s closest and most reliable partner, saying the two countries’ relations had become a model of European cooperation over the years. He said discussions also covered accelerating the construction of new oil and gas pipelines to enhance energy security for both countries.
“In the times we live in, we cannot depend on a single supply route. If we want to ensure stable economic conditions, this is essential,” Đurić said.
He also emphasised the need to strengthen cross-border communication and people-to-people exchanges, as well as to improve cargo capacity at border crossings.
The ministers signed a protocol on the joint use of diplomatic and consular missions in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Szijjártó stressed that the strategic nature of bilateral ties and the high level of political alignment justified expanding cooperation in diplomacy, trade, and energy.