“The best instrument for guaranteeing Western Balkan stability, peace and development is the genuine possibility of Euro-Atlantic integration”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday in Budapest.

In his speech at the NATO - Open Doors conference organised by the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Hungarian Foreign Minister welcomed the fact that “NATO finally had the courage to invite Montenegro to become a member”, because in the current new world order, in which the Alliance faces challenges from both south and east, enlargement policy must not simply be continued, but must be accelerated.

The strength of NATO is significantly increased if it takes on new members and the organisation’s credibility depends to a great extent on whether or not it continues its policy of expansion, Mr. Szijjártó said. Hungary has always been a committed supported of NATO expansion, and this is one of the reasons it supported the invitation of Montenegro and will assist in its preparations for full membership. In addition, Hungary is calling for Macedonia, Georgia and Bosnia-Hercegovina to also be invited to join the Alliance as soon as possible, he said, adding that the more the Western Balkan region is integrated into NATO, the greater the security of the region, which as a neighbour to the region is particularly important for Hungary.

NATO officially invited Montenegro to be its 29th member state in early December. This means that accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav state can finally begin.

As a neighbour of the Western Balkans, Hungary “is used to instability and challenges” and can feel the difference between there being peace and stability in the region as opposed to instability and war. Hungary needs a stable and strong Western Balkans as its neighbour, Mr. Szijjártó pointed out.

The Foreign Minister also said that the countries of the Western Balkans had made a wise decision when they opted to defend their borders, and since then their borders can only be crossed in accordance with laws and regulations. As a result, they have contributed greatly to the security of Europe, which was being significantly compromised by the fact that thousands of illegal immigrants-a day were entering the territory of the European Union, he highlighted.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, had it had more members in the Western Balkans, NATO would have been better prepared to handle the immigration crisis. The fact that NATO has decided to participate in working to reduce migration pressure on the Aegean Sea must most definitely be welcomed, as must the fact that both Greece and Turkey are behaving in an increasingly constructive manner, he added.

At the press conference following his speech, the Minister said in reply to questions from reporters that changes in migration pressure from the south are being constantly monitored because we must be prepared for the eventuality that the migration route could change and immigrants might begin arriving via a different route, and accordingly preparations are already complete in case the construction of a border security fence along the Hungarian-Romanian border becomes necessary.

In his speech, the Foreign Minister recalled that Hungary had decided to fully conform to the Schengen Regulations for which it received criticism for closing its borders, but this is not true; only the previously open “green border” has been secured. Border crossing stations remain open and operational, but opportunities for illegal entry have been removed.

This is what the countries of the Western Balkans are now also doing, and it was high time they introduces this measure, he said, noting that the way Macedonia was treated simply for defending its own borders was unacceptable. We cannot be hypocritical and apply double standards, he declared.

Mr. Szijjártó also said with relation to the migration crisis that the situation must be handled at its roots, and accordingly Hungary is supporting all international efforts to settle the conflict in Syria. This, however, requires that Russia and the Trans-Atlantic community come to an agreement; dialogue with Russia must be maintained. Several global challenges await us in future and it will be easier to face these challenges with the involvement of Russia, as made apparent in the case of Iran, he explained.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister also mentioned that the establishment of energy security in Central Europe was both in Europe’s interests and its responsibility. Accordingly, equal treatment is required in the case of development projects, Hungary rejects the application of double standards and requests that EU institutions support all projects that contribute to the region’s energy security, Mr. Szijjártó stated.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)