LOCAL PRESS

 

Brnabic with Sola: Argentina will not change its position on non-recognition of Kosovo (RTS/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has begun her visit to Argentina on Monday with a meeting with the country's newly appointed Foreign Minister Felipe Sola. Brnabic congratulated Sola on his new position and appointment, expressing her great pleasure at the opportunity to attend the presidential inauguration in Buenos Aires. She stressed the importance of the two countries' friendship, saying that Serbia will remain committed to furthering bilateral cooperation with Argentina. Sola underlined that he looks forward to the future cooperation between Serbia and Argentina, and stressed that his country will not change its principled position when it comes to the non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija.

Brnabic will represent Serbia at the oath-taking ceremony and the transfer of power to the newly elected President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez.

 

Vucic thanks Pavlopoulos for Greece’s support for Serbia’s territorial integrity (Tanjug)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday thanked Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos for Greece’s support for Serbia’s territorial integrity and European path and said Serbia would back the territorial integrity of Greece and that its position on the issue of Cyprus would remain unchanged. He noted that Serbia and Greece also supported each other politically in all international organizations and institutions. “Serbs and Greeks have shared a common destiny for centuries and have always been with each other in the most difficult of times,” Vucic said at a meeting with Pavlopoulos in Athens. He said bilateral relations between Serbia and Greece were very good and that bilateral trade was on an upward trajectory again. He said trade in services had been growing year by year and that the number of Serbian tourists in Greece, as well as the number of Greek tourists in Serbia, was growing.

 

Pavlopoulos: Balkan wars, conflicts and differences to be left behind (Beta)

 

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos in Athens said that Athens supported Serbia’s EU integration and wished to see the entire region as a strong pillar of the EU in southeastern part of Europe. At the beginning of a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, Pavlopoulos said he was certain that Vucic’s visit to Greece would contribute to further strengthening bilateral relations and stepping up the process of Serbia’s EU integration. “I am convinced that this visit would help to make the already good bilateral ties between Greece and Serbia even warmer and more efficient,” he said. Pavlopoulos further said that Greece backed the EU and its enlargement as “a European structure which is based on respect of the fundamental principles and values such as peace, human rights, democracy, and social justice.” He added that Greece advocated a process through which “the region, through cooperation of all the countries, will become a strong pillar of southeastern Europe,” and “will leave the Balkan wars, conflicts and difference behind.” “It is a period in history which caused us much suffering, but we should be looking forward and create a pillar in southeastern Europe,” the Greek President noted.

Speaking about the key criteria for new EU members, Pavlopoulos cited the fulfillment of all EU standards and resolution of all disputes between the candidate countries, explaining that “that the EU cannot be an area for resolving disputes with other countries.” “Serbia has made considerable steps forward, it has opened many chapters in the accession talks and Greece will continue to support Belgrade’s EU future…We are here to offer assistance where needed on your EU path,” the Greed president said.

 

Dacic: Greece’s non-recognition of so-called Kosovo is key for Serbia (RTS)

 

Serbia and Greece will sign the declaration on the establishment of a strategic partnership today, while Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says that Serbia has such declarations only with Russia, China, Italy and France. “The declaration should have been signed long ago. The document implies a series of common positions on the most important issues, mutual support around the most important issues for each of our countries and a host of other general political positions regarding our brotherly and strategic relations,” Dacic told RTS. He stressed that Serbia has exceptionally good political relations with Greece and that economic relations should be improved. What is crucial for Serbia, as he said, is that Greece doesn’t recognize Kosovo and is among the five EU countries that have not done so. He recalls that there had been pressure on Athens, that Kosovo’s economic office has been opened, but that both the prime minister and the president of Greece confirmed that they would not change their position regarding the southern Serbian province. “We will also introduce an additional trilateral with Cyprus, which will further strengthen our positions because Cyprus traditionally has a strong stand against such unilateral acts regarding the territorial integrity of a country,” Dacic stressed. One of the topics during the visit of the Serbian delegation to Greece will be the migrant crisis, and Dacic says this is an EU problem that is spilling over onto our shoulders as well. “The EU doesn’t have a common approach to all this and then the countries on the route are in most danger. There is no mutual solidarity between countries, there is no common policy on how to deal with it. Therefore, that is a big problem,” he said.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Tegeltija receives names of ministers and deputy ministers in B&H CoM from RS and HDZ B&H (RTRS)

 

There are fewer and fewer dilemmas about the personnel composition of the future Cabinet of Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers (CoM) Zoran Tegeltija. Names of candidates for the posts of ministers and deputy ministers in the B&H CoM belonging to Croats and Serbs were forwarded to Tegeltija on Monday. At the same time, names of Bosniak candidates for posts of ministers and deputy ministers in the B&H CoM are yet to be forwarded to Tegeltija. SNSD representatives stressed that SNSD will fill posts of ministers and deputy ministers in the B&H CoM in agreement with its coalition partners. Spokesperson for SNSD Radovan Kovacevic told RTRS that SNSD's proposals for ministers in the B&H CoM are Stasa Kosarac and Vojin Mitrovic, explaining that Kosarac is SNSD's candidate for the post of the B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, while Mitrovic is SNSD's candidate for the post of the B&H Minister of Communications and Transport. At the same time, DNS' Drasko Acimovic has been nominated as a candidate for the post of the B&H Minister for Human Rights and Refugees. DNS Vice-President Milan Radovic stressed that DNS reached a decision for their proposal to be Acimovic, who is a former B&H diplomat who worked in Belgium. At the same time, HDZ B&H's Vjekoslav Bevanda should continue performing the duties of the B&H Minister of Finance and Treasury, while HDZ B&H's Josip Grubesa should remain at the post of the B&H Minister of Justice. A new name in the B&H CoM, more precisely in the B&H Ministry of Civil Affairs, will be Ankica Gudeljevic (HDZ B&H). Gudeljevic is another diplomat and former B&H ambassador in Berlin. SDA is leading the group of Bosniak parties that the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the B&H Ministry of Defense and the B&H Ministry of Security belonged to. According to RTRS, SDA would like for Bisera Turkovic, the current B&H Ambassador to Qatar, to be appointed the new B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs. DF's Sifet Podzic could be the new B&H Minister of Defense while, according to the reports of the Federation of B&H media, the post of the B&H Minister of Security is reserved for SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic. However, given his previous experience with SDA, Radoncic stressed that SBB BiH bodies will once again seriously discuss the offer. "What is certain is that SDA, SBB B&H and DF will meet on Friday at the level of leaders and first associates, where we will more seriously discuss the coalition and program matters that are not being mentioned now. I expect us to then reach a decision whether SBB B&H and me personally will become part of that story, or SBB B&H will become part of it without me or we are not becoming part of it at all," Radoncic underlined. When it comes to candidates for posts of deputy ministers in the B&H CoM, SNSD's Mirko Okolic has been proposed as a candidate for the post of the Deputy Minister of Defense of B&H, SP RS' Vladimir Mijatovic is a candidate for the post of the Deputy Minister of Security of B&H, while the 'United Srpska' nominated Sinisa Ilic as a candidate for the post of the Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs of B&H. Furthermore, HDZ B&H's Josip Brkic should remain at the post of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of B&H. Mijo Kresic (HDZ B&H) should become the next Deputy Minister of Defense of B&H, while Ljiljana Lovric (HDZ B&H) has been nominated as a candidate for the post of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations.

 

Election proposals for Mostar: With agreement on the city on the Neretva River, HDZ and SDA will unblock the process of changes to the Election Law (Vercernji list)

 

The judgement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, in the case ‘Irma Baralija vs. B&H’ and related to years-long failure to organize elections in Mostar, has resulted in international officials exerting the biggest pressure thus far on local politicians to make some progress with regards to this issue. Author reminded that representatives of the US and UK administration, the EU Delegation to B&H and the OSCE Mission to B&H, have called on leaders of HDZ B&H and SDA, Dragan Covic and Bakir Izetbegovic respectively, to reach an agreement so that the local elections in Mostar can be organized in 2020, for the first time after 12 years. While no one seems to know whether HDZ B&H and SDA will start negotiations from scratch, or the solution for Mostar will be connected to solutions for other levels of authority, previous talks between representatives of those two political parties and another seven political entities have resulted in two solutions. Author reminded that former President of the Federation of B&H Borjana Kristo filed an appeal which read that - for example – constituency ‘Southwest’, with some 24,000 voters the majority of which are Croats, is electing the same number of members of the Mostar City Council as the constituency ‘Southeast’, which has four times less voters the majority of which are Bosniaks. It resulted in votes of citizens not being equally valuable. The daily learns that two models have been prepared to find the way out of this situation: model ‘A’, according to which 26 members of the Mostar City Council would be elected in six constituencies (eight from constituency ‘Southwest’, six from ‘Old Town’, five from ‘West’, three from ‘North’, two from ‘Southeast’ and two from constituency ‘South’), while the remaining nine councilors would be elected from the compensation list. According to model ‘B’, a total of 22 members of the Mostar City Council would be elected from six constituencies in Mostar (seven from constituency ‘Southwest’, five from ‘Old Town’, four from ‘West’, two from ‘North’, two from ‘Southeast’ and two from constituency ‘South’), while the remaining 13 members of the Mostar City Council would be elected from the entire city as a single constituency. Author explained that while almost all parties accepted this solution, SDA has conditioned the adoption of any one of those models with changes to the Statute of Mostar. It basically means adoption of additional mechanisms for protection, even though there is no possibility for Croats to somehow outvote Bosniaks. That, according to daily, is because the Mostar City Council cannot have more than 15 councilors of either Croat or Bosniak ethnicity, which does not exist anywhere else in B&H and which basically turns the Mostar City Council into the House of Peoples. Also, the Mayor of Mostar is elected, and the budget needs to be adopted with the support of two-third majority, which are also the things specific to Mostar.

Author concluded that while HDZ B&H and the Croat side agree with both models and believe that the agreement on Mostar should be made in package with other issues, SDA and Bosniak side demand changes to the Statute, adoption of the special law on Mostar, and introduction of the post of deputy mayor.

 

Bosnia Presidency Chairman's instruction to boycott Nobel Prize award ceremony (N1)

 

Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Chairman, Zeljko Komsic, issued an instruction to the Bosnian Embassy staff in Sweden to boycott Tuesday's Nobel Prize award ceremony to Peter Handke known for his controversial views on the Srebrenica genocide, the Chairman's Office told N1.

Komsic's Office informed the Embassy of B&H in Sweden that no authorization was given for anyone's presence at the Nobel Prize award ceremony on Bosnia's behalf. "We hereby inform you that the Presidency of B&H has taken the position whereby it does not authorize anyone to attend the Nobel Prize award ceremony on behalf of B&H, or on behalf of the Embassy of B&H in the Kingdom of Sweden" the Presidency told N1 and noted that any form of arbitrary action which would go against the decision of the Presidency on this matter would be a violation of the Constitution of B&H.

 

Turkey, Albania, Kosovo to boycott Nobel ceremony in protest against Handke (Hayat)

 

Turkey says it will join Albania and Kosovo in boycotting the Nobel awards ceremony to protest 2019 literature prize laureate Peter Handke, who has been criticized for backing late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic. The Turkish ambassador to Sweden, Hakki Emre Yunt, told Turkish broadcaster Hurriyet on December 9 he would not attend the awards ceremony the next day in Stockholm. The move came after a Turkish government official this weekend called on the Swedish Academy to change the decision to award Handke the prize. Kosovo’s outgoing foreign minister, Behgjet Pacolli, announced he had instructed the ambassador in Sweden to “boycott” the ceremony, saying that “a writer who supported Milosevic and his genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and Kosovo does not deserve the Nobel Prize.” Acting Albanian Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj announced a similar move, writing in a tweet that "justification of war atrocities during the Yugoslavia breakup must not be rewarded."

 

Croatia joins Literature Nobel Prize boycott in protest over Handke (Hina)

 

Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided on Monday that the Croatian Ambassador in Sweden will not participate at the Literature Nobel Prize ceremony in protest against 2019 laureate Peter Handke, who is best-known in Croatia for backing late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and his genocidal policies. Croatia thus joined a group of countries who have decided to boycott the event. The group, at the moment this article is being written, consists of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Northern Macedonia, and Turkey.

In 2019, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Peter Handke, explained by the Academy that it was awarded “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience”. The Swedish Academy’s choice of the Austrian writer for the award this year has been widely criticized, not because of his writing, but because of his support for Slobodan Milosevic, former Serbian president who was instrumental in many wars in former Yugoslavia in the '90s. Handke has often spoken out in defense of Milosevic, including stringent denials of concentration camps and war crimes in Bosnia, including Srebrenica. He was at Milosevic's funeral in Belgrade as well, where he spoke kindly of the late tyrant - in Serbian! A defiant Handke refused to answer any questions regarding his support for Milosevic during a news conference held on Friday in Stockholm.

 

Venice Commission publishes its opinion with strong criticism of the Albanian language law (Republika)

 

Venice Commission publishes its opinion with strong criticism of the Albanian language law

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe today published its final opinion on the controversial law on the use of the Albanian language in Macedonia. As announced in the preliminary opinion, the Commission has strong objections to the law, the way it was adopted, how it goes beyond the Macedonian Constitution and European norms, and adds unmanageable burdens on the country. Macedonia is called to re-examine the law and to organize widespread consultations with all stakeholders before doing so. The opinion condemns the lack of debate before the expedited adoption of the law. It condemns the “unrealistic” obligations that it imposes on the public institutions, which are now required to use the Albanian language as official even in areas with little to no Albanians, and even if they have no Albanian speakers employed. Just the implementation of the provisions of the law in the judiciary, which are described as overly broad, would require years and years of preparations, the Commission found.

Overall, the clauses of the law are found as unclear and not precise or too broad. Regarding the clause that there should be bilingual currency and army and police uniforms, the Commission says they are outside of European norms, but not unprecedented. In general, the Venice Commission insists that it is not clear where the Albanian language will be used as official – which central and local institutions, which independent institutions, if it applies to private companies… The Commission also objects to the possibility of imposition of the Albanian language to individuals who don’t speak it, as a violation of the personal right to freedom of expression. According to the Commission, the use of a minority language is a right, but can’t become an imposition. The move by the Venice Commission caused a major rift in the ruling SDSM – DUI coalition, which is based on the Tirana platform – a series of maximalist requests by the ethnic Albanian parties which the now outgoing Prime Minister Zoran Zaev agreed to implement. Zaev initially said that he will respect the opinion of the Venice Commission, but after his Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani evoked the prospect of return to war, he backed down and said that the law will stay as it is.

 

Venice Commission ignites political debates in North Macedonia (Nezavisen vesnik)

 

Venice Commission conclusions to revise the Law on Languages ​​Advancing Use of Albanian Language have ignited the political scene and have sparked debates in North Macedonia.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev urges that the recommendations of Venice be respected and that he warns against revising the law. “Since we have also debated the adoption of the Law, we have said that we will wait for the Venice Commission and respect it. It is good that the European language usage limit has been overcome, but certain rights are still violated,” Zaev said.

But the DUI (Democratic Union for Integration) coalition party is not in line with Prime Minister Zaev. “If this law is reopened, then we will reopen the Ohrid Agreement and go back before 2001. The main reason why the law was sent to the Commission was to assess the dilemma of whether bilingualism should be part of the banknotes and military uniforms. The Commission’s assessment is positive for these provisions. Regarding the remarks on the use of the language in the judiciary, I think we should continue to build capacities so that the Albanian language can be applied as soon as possible in the judiciary and other segments of the administration,” said Bujar Osmani, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration. VMRO-DPMNE demand that the law should be removed immediately. “A new law should be made, involving all ethnic communities in the Republic of Macedonia, and a law according to the size and representation of all, without favoring certain ethnicities to the detriment of everyone else”, said VMRO-DPMNE spokesman Dimce Arsovski. The Alliance of Albanians (ASH) emphasized that Albanians are not a minority and that the Albanian language should be regulated by the Constitution. “To begin with, the law should not have been sent at all because it is in line with the Constitution. We Albanians are not a minority here, but we are a constituent community above 25%. As an Alliance for Albanians we insist on making constitutional changes and make Albanian an official language”, said ASA Secretary General Arben Taravari. The Venice Commission recommends abolishing the use of the Albanian language as a second language in the judiciary, restricting the use of the Albanian language to internal and inter-institutional communication, restricting official written communications, or have them postponed until proper implementation of this provision. The Venice Commission considers that the law extends the use of the Albanian language by transposing in some respects the European standards of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.

 

North Macedonia profits after Kosovo imposed 100% customs tax (Nezavisen vesnik)

 

North Macedonia has increased exports to Kosovo a year after Pristina decided to impose 100 per cent customs duties on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H).

The Ministry of Economy data show that for the five months since November last year, when Kosovo imposed the 100% tariff on Serbian products, North Macedonia exported EUR 103,3 million worth of goods to the Kosovo market. Compared to the same period last year, this represents an increase of exports by EUR 25.7 million, or 33 percent. The Ministry of Economy expects that the exports to Kosovo with which Macedonia has achieved a surplus in the trade will continue to increase in the following period. They claim that there is no re-export of Serbian products through the market of North Macedonia. According to data released by the Kosovo Bureau of Statistics, imports from North Macedonia to Kosovo in October were 6.9 percent, when in the previous month, just before the introduction of customs duties, imports from the country amounted to 5.1 percent. “This trend we think is good, but not satisfactory, since Serbia’s total imports from Kosovo to Kosovo were around 16%, and now Serbia’s imports to Kosovo are almost 0.1%, which means there is opportunity and space for us, so we must use it even more” says Nebi Hoxha, president of the Economic Chamber of Northwest Macedonia. In terms of CEFTA countries, North Macedonia is the first importer of Kosovo, with 6.9 percent, Albania is second with 6.3 percent and Serbia is third with 0.1percent.

 

Albania to boycott Sweden Literature Nobel Prize Ceremony (ADN)

 

Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Gent Cakaj confirmed that Albania's Ambassador to Sweden has been instructed to boycott Nobel Prize Ceremony for Peter Handke.

When it comes to this matter, Cakaj said this move has been in consistence to the initial reaction, also added that justification of war atrocities during the Yugoslavia break-up must not be rewarded. "Consistent with our initial reaction, we have also instructed the Ambassador of Albania to Sweden to boycott Nobel Prize ceremony for Handke. Justification of war atrocities during the Yugoslavia break-up must not be rewarded," said Cakaj.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Borrell urges EU to be foreign policy ‘player, not the playground’ (Politico, by Jacopo Barigazzi, 10 December 2019)

 

In letter to ministers, new chief diplomat sets out his plans.

The EU's new top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has urged the bloc to step up and be a real geopolitical player or risk Europe becoming just a playground for other big powers.

Ahead of chairing his first meeting of EU foreign ministers Monday, the bloc's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy wrote a three-page letter to ministers late last week outlining his ambitions. In the letter, seen by POLITICO, Borrell wrote that as "we see the rebirth of geostrategic competition," notably between China, Russia and the United States, the EU "has the option of becoming a player, a true geostrategic actor, or being mostly the playground." His remarks reaffirm the new Commission's aim to be more geopolitically relevant, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a former German defense minister, saying last week that each weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners will set aside time for a report on "external action." The new geopolitical push was also reflected in the Strategic Agenda 2019-2024, agreed by EU leaders in June, stating that "the EU needs to pursue a strategic course of action and increase its capacity to act autonomously to safeguard its interests, uphold its values and way of life, and help shape the global future." Diplomats are keen to see how Borrell, a former Spanish foreign minister, will evolve the activities of the External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic body, as the Commission and the European Council take on a greater say in EU foreign policy. "We need to speak more the language of power, not to conquer but to contribute to a more peaceful, prosperous and just world," Borrell wrote before going on to cite Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as saying that "if we only preach the merits of principles, and shy away from exercising power in the geopolitical arena, our continent may always be right, but it will seldom be relevant."

 

Way of working

Diplomats have long discussed how to make EU decision-making in foreign policy quicker and more effective. In a passage that will cheer those diplomats who have complained that the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) was turning into a "travel agency," where ministers talk about their trips but often take no actual decisions, Borrell promises change: "I will strive to make our discussions informed, interactive, political and result-oriented, and for outcomes that are operational," he wrote. "I intend, inter alia, to send you letters before each FAC meeting, setting out the scope, purpose and possible outcomes of the proposed agenda topics." Borrell also noted that "trade and technology issues must now be considered as foreign policy issues on which we will have to take strong initiatives," and announced that he will also chair a "Commissioners' group for a stronger Europe in the World (CGSE) to facilitate a coherent whole-of -the-EU-approach in mobilizing EU tools," calling on EU capitals, often divided over foreign policy, for "greater coherence" between EU and member-country actions.

 

Setting priorities

Borrell split EU foreign policy priorities into two groups: more local "neighborhood" issues and broader geopolitical ones. "First and foremost, we must anchor solidly the Western Balkans within the EU," he wrote, without explicitly naming North Macedonia and Albania, the two Western Balkan states with whom the previous Commission recommended opening accession talks — only to be blocked by France which insists the EU must first manage to work more efficiently before welcoming new countries into the bloc. "It will be my priority to work for a Kosovo-Serbia global agreement and place Bosnia and Herzegovina on a path towards stability," Borrell wrote. "We need to agree on how to handle the enlargement process," he added, stressing that he will engage "to ensure we can reach a satisfactory agreement by the Zagreb summit next year." That is a reference to a meeting in the Croatian capital in May 2020 ahead of which many EU states hope to see a green light for starting accession talks with the two Balkan nations.

Among other priorities, Borrell highlighted Turkey, whom "we must consider engaging in a candid dialogue ... including at the highest level." And Ukraine "remains a priority," he said, calling for the "full implementation of the Minsk Agreement" signed in 2014 to stop the fighting in the Donbass. In the Middle East, Iran (where he says the EU's "non-proliferation efforts ... will be key") remains a priority issue, as do Africa and Libya. At a more geopolitical level, the "U.S is and will remain a key partner and ally," but at the same time "we need to work on our engagement with the broader world to become a true geo-political actor," Borrell wrote. The letter does not include any reference to a proposal, put forward by former Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, to move away from unanimity in some foreign policy issues and opt instead for a qualified majority. That's an issue that "is not part of the agenda today," Borrell told reporters on his way to the meeting. Some diplomats say they already see a more proactive style at play, noting a statement that Borrell issued on Iran on Sunday in which he criticized "the Iranian security forces’ disproportionate response to recent demonstrations" — language they say is tougher than in previous statements — and a decision to push forward a Dutch initiative to legislate a worldwide EU human rights sanctions regime that was agreed by foreign ministers and for which the European External Action Service will have to submit a proposal.

 

Balkans addition 'priority' (The Budapest Times, 10 December 2019)

 

The Visegrád Group (V4) expects the new European Commission to speed up European Union enlargement, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó has said after meeting his V4 counterparts in Prague. "One of the greatest failures of the previous European Commission headed by Jean-Claude Juncker was bringing the enlargement process to an almost complete standstill," Szijjártó said. "This is why we expect the new European Commission to open a new era in EU enlargement with special regard to integrating the Western Balkans." Szijjártó said enlargement policy, headed by Hungarian commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, would be in good hands. "The V4 has agreed to support the Hungarian enlargement commissioner's efforts to speed up integration," he said, adding that the EU's policy "of blocking enlargement" over the past years "goes entirely against the bloc's interests. The swiftest possible integration of the Western Balkans is in the European Union and Hungary's political, security, economic and strategic interests as it helps the bloc to resist migration pressure effectively." Szijjártó branded the outgoing Finnish EU presidency "a failure", noting that it had not opened a single new negotiating chapter for enlargement during its six-month term ending on December 31. This, he said, had never happened before. "Instead of focusing on their real job, the Finns spent their time lecturing central European countries." Asked by state news agency MTI whether the meeting had addressed German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's new proposals on the acceptance of refugees, Szijjártó said the topic had not been raised individually. "But the V4's position is clear. We are not willing to admit any illegal migrants into central Europe. The success and security of central Europe is thanks to our pursuit of a firm anti-migration policy, and this will endure."

The Visegrád countries – Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland – insist on keeping their national identities and maintaining their cultural, religious and historical heritage, he said.

"This is why central Europe is one of the most successful regions of the European Union today, and its engine of growth. We do not tolerate any kind of pressure and we Hungarians insist on our right to decide whom to allow into our country and with whom we wish to live."