Szijjarto: Hindering Western Balkans’ EU integration security risk
Integrating the Western Balkans is crucial for reinforcing an ailing Europe, the foreign ministry cited Szijjarto as saying at the annual 2BS (To Be Secure) forum in Budva.
“Now the European Union is more in need of the Western Balkans than vice versa,” the minister said.
Answering a question on another subject, Szijjarto said the Hungarian government did not consider funds suspended by the EU as “humanitarian aid” and insisted that “those funds are made up of European contributions, including those of Hungarians, therefore they are partly owed to us”. He said the funds had been suspended “purely for political reasons” rooted in “Hungary’s being successful despite opposing the mainstream on some important issues”. He also insisted that the country could not have made its achievements “if corruption were systemic”.