Djuric: In an era of global turbulence, cooperation between Serbia and Hungary is becoming increasingly important

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia stated today that Serbia and Hungary are acting ever more jointly on the international stage through their diplomatic networks, noting that in an era of global turbulence such cooperation is gaining additional importance. He added that the two countries will continue to develop their relations, emphasizing that interstate cooperation is mutually beneficial, particularly in the field of energy.

After opening the Hungarian Consular Office within the General Consulate of Serbia in Thessaloniki together with his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó, Marko Djuric said that this was the fifth joint co-location worldwide, underscoring that cooperation between the Hungarian and Serbian diplomatic services reflects a high level of trust between the two countries, built over the past 15 years.

He recalled that an agreement on historical reconciliation between Serbia and Hungary was signed in 2013.

“At the time, this was a pioneering effort, and it was a personal honor for me, as an adviser to President (Tomislav) Nikolic, to participate in the negotiations leading to that agreement. Today, we can see that the vision initiated by President (Aleksandar) Vucic, President Nikolic, and Prime Minister (Viktor) Orbán has resulted in a paradigm shift in Hungarian–Serbian relations,” Djuric told journalists in Thessaloniki.

He stressed that Hungarian–Serbian cooperation today is mutually beneficial in multiple respects, particularly in the energy sector, adding that the latest agreement on the acquisition of the Russian ownership stake in the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) by the Hungarian company MOL will enable the effects of sanctions to be fully neutralized, while ensuring Serbia’s long-term energy security and price stability.

“This will enable balanced cooperation, because Serbia benefits from storing its gas in Hungary, while Hungary benefits from gas transit through our country. We are also building new oil pipelines, and when we look at energy as a vital sector, we see just one of the many positive aspects of our cooperation,” Djuric said.

He pointed out that cooperation between Serbia and Hungary in the international arena is becoming even more important in an era of global turbulence, as cooperation between sovereign states is increasingly significant compared to cooperation within various international organizations or multilateral platforms.

Djuric emphasized that Serbia needs reliable friends with whom it maintains strong interstate—and personal—relations, noting that such partnerships deliver tangible results in the times in which we live.

“That is why the opening of the Hungarian Consular Office within the Serbian General Consulate in Thessaloniki is more than symbolic. It is a clear indication of the direction in which we are moving—the direction of cooperation. Through this cooperation, we achieve significant savings by sharing costs with Hungary, for example with regard to our embassies in Chile or Malta,” Djuric said.

He added that Serbia will continue working with Hungary on the further development of relations, stressing that this has benefited both the Hungarian and Serbian peoples and has contributed to the improvement of interethnic relations.

Asked by journalists how Serbia can preserve its political course amid global upheavals, the head of Serbian diplomacy said that Serbia is navigating these turbulent times with confidence and self-belief, because it knows the principles it adheres to.

“We firmly maintain that Serbian state and national interests are our primary guiding principle in international relations; that respect for international law and rules is of paramount importance to us; and that developing relations on an equal footing with countries such as Hungary, as well as many others, provides security at a time when international organizations, rules, and alliances are being shaken,” Djuric said.

As he noted, this foreign policy course has brought Serbia a major advantage in recent years.

“Serbia has managed to remain one of the few countries in the world that maintains dialogue with everyone and that, once the war in Ukraine comes to an end, will be well positioned to reap both political and economic benefits from its wise and balanced stance. When I say ‘wise,’ I do not mean that any of us is individually responsible or particularly wise, but rather that there is a collective historical instinct within the Serbian people that guides us to be the West in the East, the East in the West, and above divisions in the international arena,” Djuric concluded.