President Novák’s Official Visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina
Hungary’s President Katalin Novák Visits Sarajevo, Underscores Hungary’s Support for EU Integration of Western Balkans
Hungary’s President Katalin Novák visited Sarajevo, where she held important meetings with members of the Presidency of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with Borjana Kristo, President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The discussions during the meetings focused on various issues including the European integration of the Western Balkans, the EUFOR Althea mission, demographic issues, and the need to strengthen economic and cultural relations.
During her visit, President Katalin Novák reiterated Hungary’s commitment to the European integration of the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also applauded the role of Hungarian soldiers in the EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting the importance of their contribution.
Novák commented that “the EU without the Western Balkans is like soup without salt: it is edible, but everyone feels that something is missing.”
As part of her visit to Sarajevo, President Novák will also attend the handover ceremony of the mission’s command at EUFOR Althea, where she will lay a wreath at the statue of the fallen soldiers.
During her meetings, Novák stressed the importance of enlargement dynamics, especially with regards to the Western Balkans, at a time when negotiations for accession have been initiated with Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. She indicated that the EU enlargement dynamics would be a priority of the Hungarian EU Presidency in the second half of the year.
Additionally, President Katalin Novák commended the role of Hungarian soldiers in the EUFOR Althea mission and pointed out that the fact that a Hungarian general will be taking over the leadership of the mission underscores the significance of Hungary’s role in the region.
Hungary’s President Novák highlighted that Hungary, during its past EU Presidency, had made progress with regards to the region’s EU integration, and reaffirmed that this would be one of the main priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency later this year.
