“The stronger support we get in the referendum, the better the chances we’ll win this battle against Brussels.” Addressing the issue of Serbia’s EU accession, Orbán said Serbia should try to get “as close to the EU as possible”. Whereas some are “trying to block this, Hungary does not agree with them,” he said. “Only merit counts.”

Hungarians living in Serbia enjoy “fair and generous” treatment from the government and the Hungarian government aims to be generous to the Serbian community in Hungary, too, Orbán said. He asked his Serbian counterpart Alexandar Vučić for his support for Hungary’s bid to organise the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.

The whole central and eastern European region would benefit, he added. Vučić said Hungarian-Serbian relations are outstanding despite the fact that there is no full agreement on all subjects between their countries. Preparations must be made for the autumn and winter, as already 5,000 migrants are in Serbia. Joint working groups are already working on solutions for the upcoming period, he said.

Budapest is contributing towards efforts on the Macedonian border, and this will be extended to the Bulgarian border as well, he noted. Maintaining good relations with Hungary is key for the Serbian government.

Mixed committees overseeing the economy, agriculture and tourism will be set up to help improve the exchange of experiences, he said, adding that a joint government session will be held before the end of the year and the meeting may be held in central Serbia instead of Belgrade in order to help boost Hungarian investments there.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.