The partnership falls under the annual Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan.Continue reading
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received his North Macedonian counterpart Hristijan Mickoski in the Hungarian capital on Tuesday morning. At a press conference after the event, the prime ministers gave details of the talks, at which Viktor Orbán announced a meeting with the French President to take place tomorrow, reports Magyar Nemzet.
At the press conference following the meeting, Mr Orbán stressed that “we have all been living in the shadow of war for three years. And our best hope is now that peace will replace war.” The Hungarian Prime Minister told the head of the western Balkan country that Hungary welcomes the start of the US-Russian talks. “I have informed the prime minister that we are having a debate with those European Union member states, also our friends and allies, who have decided that the war in Ukraine must continue,” he underlined. He stressed: “We believe that continuing the war is wrong, dangerous and a mistake. We will discuss this in Brussels on Thursday, the day after tomorrow.”
I welcomed the fact that peace resolutions were also negotiated at the UN, where North Macedonia and Hungary took the same position. We supported the US proposal, that was also adopted by the Security Council.”
he added.
The issue of illegal immigration was an important part of the discussions. Viktor Orbán wrote on X earlier in the morning: “We cannot protect the people of Europe from illegal migration without the support of the Western Balkan countries. North-Macedonia is one of our most important partners in this respect. Thank you for your support, Prime Minister!”
This morning, we started the 2nd Hungarian-Macedonian Intergovernmental Summit with Prime Minister @MickoskiHM. We cannot protect the people of Europe from illegal migration without the support of the Western Balkan countries. North-Macedonia is one of our most important partners… pic.twitter.com/9Ne0Vx4KIj
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) March 4, 2025
“Hungary is grateful to Northern Macedonia, because they protect their own borders, and in doing so they are also protecting us,” Mr Orbán said at the press conference.
The better they protect their borders, the fewer migrants will attack Hungary’s southern borders. I have informed the members of the North Macedonian government that we reject the European Union’s migration pact, we will never accept it,”
he stressed.
He pointed out that Hungary would remain a partner in the EU integration process of North Macedonia. “Not only because it is a shame how slowly this process is moving. The responsibility for this shameful state of affairs lies not with North Macedonia, but with us, the EU member states,” Mr Orbán said. “I do not see any capacity to improve competitiveness in the EU today, only enlargement. So far, every enlargement has brought the EU an improvement in competitiveness, including Hungary’s accession,” he added.
The two sides noted that trade flows between the two countries are steadily increasing. According to the Prime Minister trade has increased sevenfold since 2010.
“In our understanding, North Macedonia and Hungary belong to the same economic region, including Serbia. In our opinion, this is a cohesive, united economic region, where cooperation has great economic potential.
The problem is that we are inside the Union and they are outside,”
he explained.
“This was not simply a visit by the prime minister, but a joint meeting between the two governments, because the only way to solve and overcome the problem of us being inside and them being outside is to build the most intensive intergovernmental relations possible,” Mr Orbán added.
Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
This includes the closest and most intensive, deepest possible contacts and cooperation between the two governments. And it also includes the interconnection of the economic systems of the two countries, in which the two states must play a role. We have a very strong financial cooperation. We are also planning an intergovernmental economic agreement in the future.
The North Macedonian Prime Minister thanked his Hungarian counterpart for the welcome and friendship he had received in Budapest. He said that they had discussed the possibility of North Macedonia becoming a member state of the European Union as soon as possible. “This is our strategic goal, that we have always had and will continue to have in the future,” said Hristijan Mickoski.
Денеска се одржа заедничка седница помеѓу владите на Македонија и Унгарија, на која се разгледаа и усогласија клучни прашања од заеднички интерес.
Седницата се одржа по билатералните средби на ресорните министри, кои послужија како основа за продлабочување и зацврстување на… pic.twitter.com/sX4QQciqe0
— Христијан Мицкоски (@MickoskiHM) March 4, 2025
Today’s meeting was about further deepening bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of infrastructure, but the defense and interior ministers also discussed the possibilities of partnership,”
he detailed.
“I would like to underline that our goal is to build a stable, strong and developing North Macedonia as a member of the European Union. Hungary’s support in this process is very important, he concluded.
In response to a journalist’s question, Viktor Orbán said that he would hold talks with the French President in Paris tomorrow, followed by an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher