Serbian President Vučič awarded Hungary for support and emphasized historical cooperation, which is aimed at building narrow strategic ties.
Serbian Defense Minister Bratislava Gašič and his Hungarian counterpart Krištof Szalay-Bobrovniczky signed an agreement on bilateral military cooperation between the defense departments of both countries for 2025 on Tuesday.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučič and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia General Milan Mojsilovič also attended the ceremony.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky said after a meeting with Vučič that the signed agreement had lifted the cooperation between the two countries to an even higher level. He expressed his belief that Hungary could help the modernization and overall development of Serbia. For Hungary, Serbia is the most important bilateral military partner who is not a member of NATO or the EU, he stressed.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky recalled that the strategic partnership of Serbia and Hungary was extended in 2023 to include defense and military cooperation. According to the agreement signed on Tuesday, both countries will have 79 joint military activities compared to last year’s 48, including international exercises for volunteer midfielders and shooting training.
Vučič said that Serbia is working most intensely with Hungary in the military area. In 1999, during the Balkan wars, “thanks to the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could not start a ground attack against the then Yugoslavia”.
“The whole 26 years later, both parties have the opportunity to build extremely close strategic ties, to further deepen cooperation and approach the creation of the Military Alliance,” the Serbian President said. He thanked Hungary for standing in Serbia “in difficult and good times”, and assured that Budapest could always rely on Serbia support.
Croatia and Albania, which are members of NATO, concluded an agreement on military cooperation with Kosovo in mid -March. Vučič has accused these countries that the agreement threatens regional stability. Relations between Belgrade and Pristina have been tense since 2008, when Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.
