The border crossing points at Röszke, Tompa and Hercegszántó were opened to people living along the Hungarian-Serbian border on Thursday, thereby helping to ensure that commuters do not suffer too great a level of economic damage because of the consequences of the novel coronavirus epidemic.

At a joint press conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić in Horgoš, on the Serbian side of the Röszke border crossing point, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced: “Serbian and Hungarian citizens can once again use the three aforementioned border crossing points for the purposes of employment or agricultural work within a 50-kilometre zone in the vicinity of the border. This will require a certification that they live within 50 kilometres of the border, and a document from their employer confirming that their place of work is within 50 kilometres of the border, or proof of the fact that the land they wish to cultivate is within the 50-kilometre zone”.

“President of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians István Pásztor and local Members of Parliament on the Hungarian side of the border drew attention to the difficulties being experienced by commuters”, the Minister stated.
Mr. Szijjártó announced that in addition, large Hungarian corporations MOL and OTP are playing an important role in rebooting the Hungarian and Serbian economies. The already successful and popular Vojvodina Economic Develop Program, within the framework of which 86 billion forints (EUR 241.5 million) worth of investments have been realised in Vojvodina to date thanks to Hungarian budgetary funding, is continuing. The previously begun infrastructure development projects are also continuing, including the Belgrade-Budapest and Szeged-Subotica-Baja railway development projects. The gas corridor that will be able to transport natural gas to Hungary from Turkey via Bulgaria and Serbia is also under construction, and the Hungarian stretch of the pipeline will be completed by October 2021. In the interests of assuring that cooperation between enterprises from the two countries does not suffer damage, a 120-million-euro credit line has been opened at Hungary’s EximBank to facilitate close cooperation between Serbian and Hungarian enterprises.

Hungary has an interest in Serbia’s defence against the virus epidemic being successful, “because we cannot be successful if our neighbours are unsuccessful”, and this is why Budapest has given the Serbian government, Vojvodina Hungarians and Bosnian Serbs healthcare protection equipment , he declared. “We practice a responsible neighbourhood policy, and one of the most important pillars of this is Hungarian-Serbian bilateral cooperation”, he underlined.

Mr. Szijjártó highlighted that it is in difficult times that it truly becomes apparent “to what extent our fates are intertwined”, pointing out that Hungary and Serbia live in extremely close interdependency in Central Europe, and it is in everyone’s common interest for neighbours to be strong and healthy. “Accordingly, we may state that the more rapidly the Serbian economy gets back on its feet, the greater assistance this will mean for the Hungarian economy, in view of the fact that Serbia is our most important trade partners in the Western Balkan region”, the Minister explained, adding: “The better Serbia defends against the novel coronavirus epidemic the more successful Hungary’s defence will also be”.

In reply to a question from the press, Mr. Szijjártó said Hungary has enabled transit across the country. Serbian citizens who are travelling to Western Europe for employment purposes may use the Röszke border crossing point between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day, but may only use the designated Hungarian motorways and petrol stations. In reply to a question concerning secondary school children from Vojvodina who are preparing to take their final exams, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade highlighted the fact that there will be no barriers to students from Vojvodina taking their examinations in Hungary; this is something the Ministry of Human Capacities will create an opportunity for, and will also ensure that examinees will not have to go into quarantine for two weeks.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić highlighted the fact that relations between the two countries remain exemplary even during this difficult period. He also drew attention to the fact that the border crossing points are being opened thanks to a Hungarian initiative in view of the fact that Serbia closed its borders to all incoming and outgoing traffic in mid-March.

In closing, Mr. Szijjártó asked his Serbian counterpart to work with him in future to ensure that not only can the three now reopened border crossing points be allowed to function, but several more.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)