By Abdul Karimkhanov
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Serbian Foreign
Minister Marko Đurić met in Szeged with Hungarian Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and discussed foreign
attempts to overthrow elected governments, Trend reports via the
Serbian MFA.
Following the meeting, the sides announced that the countries
are on the right side of history and on the side of protecting true
democracy, and that orchestrated attempts to destabilize their
states will not succeed.
At a press conference following the meeting, Đurić stated that
he stands shoulder to shoulder with the Hungarian minister in
opposing efforts to undermine the legitimately elected governments
of Serbia and Hungary through external actions, organized to
subvert the democratically expressed will of the people and
redirect it to serve centers of power far outside Belgrade and
He noted that there are significant parallels between what we
are witnessing these days on the streets of our capitals, but there
is also an equally strong parallel in the determination and
resilience of our nations and leaderships to protect the true
democratic will of our citizens.
“That’s why I can say openly here that, contrary to the claims
and the pressures being exerted, we are indeed on the right side of
history and on the side of protecting true democracy — not the kind
imposed through paid media, certain civil organizations funded from
abroad, and through staging that aims to change, by illegal means
and foreign interference, the governments elected by the democratic
will of the people in both countries,” Đurić noted.
According to him, full solidarity exists between Serbia and
Hungary on this issue, because the same methods are being used by
those mentioned centers of power to try to overthrow both Serbia
and Hungary, with the targets being Aleksandar Vučić, the President
of Serbia, and Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary.
“I am among those who firmly believe that freedom of expression
and differing opinions, especially minority ones, are a treasure of
any society. However, what we have witnessed in recent days in
Belgrade is not that. We are witnessing attempts to use violent
methods contrary to everything the organizers of those gatherings
claim to stand for to forcibly change the government, against the
democratically expressed will of the majority of citizens in
Serbia,” Đurić explained.
The Serbian foreign minister reminded that an unregistered
gathering was held on Saturday in Belgrade, during which the police
were attacked, which was against domestic laws and also contrary to
acceptable methods of political struggle in a democratic world.
“How can you credibly claim to fight for democracy and the rule
of law if you’re not even willing to register your gatherings
following the laws of a legal state? If you’re not ready to respect
the rules of that same legal state, which require that citizens be
guaranteed freedom of movement?” Đurić asked.
According to him, the target of these attacks is Serbia’s free
and independent domestic and foreign policy, and we are witnessing
attempts by centers of power outside our region to bring under
control the political class, both in Serbia and in Hungary.
“I always advocate for the right to free and diverse opinion,
but this is an attempt by a minority to establish a kind of
political control; it’s not even an exaggeration to call it a kind
of terror, over the majority in the country. And in that sense, our
police and institutions continue to act lawfully, responsibly, and
to preserve not only the constitutional order of our country, but
also the democratically expressed will,” Đurić said.
He emphasized that in Serbia, governments will not and cannot be
overthrown in the streets, and that the only ones authorized to
decide who governs are the citizens of Serbia through
Minister Szijjártó also warned that externally controlled
actions are underway, aimed at changing governments in Central
European countries where sovereignty is being defended by those in
“We know that in both Hungary and Serbia, the governments are
working in the interest of their nations’ sovereignty. It’s clear
that actions are being organized against such governments, financed
and supported from abroad,” Szijjártó warned.
In such a situation, he said, cooperation between Hungary and
Serbia becomes even more important, especially in the field of
energy, since both countries refuse to give up cheap Russian gas
“Brussels wants to support Ukraine in a way that endangers
energy supply in our region, and it is simply impossible for us to
accept energy prices that are four or five times higher,” Szijjártó
Hungary’s top diplomat also said that the citizens of his
country had spoken out in a referendum against Ukraine’s fast-track
accession to the EU, and that their government would respect that
“We don’t want Ukraine to join the EU through an accelerated
procedure, because that would be dangerous for both the economy and
the security of Europe. However, we support speeding up EU
enlargement in the Western Balkans, as that would give new momentum
to the EU and increase security. I think there’s no reasonable
person today who believes Ukraine is in better shape than Serbia,
or who thinks countries in worse condition should be admitted to
the EU before those that have advanced and are in good shape,” said
At the press conference, the ministers also said they discussed
a number of other bilateral issues, such as transport and energy
infrastructure. Minister Đurić especially thanked his Hungarian
counterpart for supporting not only Serbia but the entire region in
the EU accession process, emphasizing that Serbia is not going to
Brussels with its hand out asking for something, but because it can
contribute to the development and growth of the European economy
and European security.
“I’m glad that Hungary and Serbia jointly support regional
stability, and we are grateful to our Hungarian friends for
understanding the difficult situation of Serbs in Kosovo and
Metohija and for Hungary’s contribution to security there through
participation in the KFOR mission, which helps protect both Serbian
and other local populations in Kosovo,” said Đurić, adding that he
especially informed his Hungarian colleague about the persecution
of the Serbian Christian population who were not allowed to
celebrate this year’s Vidovdan in Kosovo in a dignified manner.
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