Hungary/Serbia/Austria – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić welcomed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Chancellor Karl Nehammer to Belgrade on Wednesday, 16 November, for a second trilateral summit involving Serbia, Hungary, and Austria.
The three leaders discussed Serbia’s application for membership of the European Union. They said that Serbia’s entry would be in the interest of the EU, as it would, among other things, enable a more efficient fight against illegal immigration, since Serbia lies on a major illegal migration route through the Balkans and plays an essential role in that area. The three agreed to strengthen the cooperation between their countries to protect the borders, and decided to create a joint border protection force, with the Hungarian PM saying:
“We have a common destiny, we have to work together, and Aleksandar Vučić is the best Serbian partner in Hungary’s history.”
Viktor Orbán pointed out that 250,000 attempts to cross the border illegally have been foiled this year by the Hungarian police, and that Hungary has spent €1.6 billion on border protection since 2015, with only 1.2 percent of that sum having been financed by the EU.
For his part, the Serbian president explained that his country wanted to “push [its] defensive lines as far south as possible, because it is in the interest of Europe and [Belgrade]”. He then summed up his remarks by saying:
“We do not want to be a parking lot for migrants.”
As for the Austrian chancellor, he stressed that “the European system has failed” and that
“the different member states are forced to find partners to fight illegal immigration”.
