Zsolt Bonfort, the special representative for the Western Balkans of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said that the country has been unfairly “under siege” for 20 years and that it is necessary for the EU membership process to be accelerated.
Bonfort, who today had a meeting at the Parliament of North Macedonia with the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Antonio Miloshoski, said that several issues related to the European Union membership process were discussed at the meeting.
He stated that if the process is based on the merit system, North Macedonia and other countries in the region deserve to become full members of the European Union.
“We discussed many issues related to the EU membership process. Of course, we have heard many ideas, such as gradual integration or guaranteed member state status, without voting rights… What is important is to see that the countries of the region, including North Macedonia, should become full members of the EU. That is all I can say for now. For us, it would be very important for this process to be accelerated and for countries to be given the opportunity to become EU members. If it comes to a merit-based approach, I think that North Macedonia and the region deserve full membership,” said Bonfort, answering questions from journalists after the meeting.
According to him, Hungary and North Macedonia maintain excellent bilateral relations and, as he emphasized, this is more than a partnership, this is something that is based on common interests and trust.
“We have a strong interest in increasing our presence in the economic field of North Macedonia. We discussed concrete projects, talked about issues of common interest. We also expressed full support for North Macedonia on its path to the EU. We think it is a travesty that North Macedonia has been “standing on the fence” for more than twenty years. Now we are trying to do everything in our power to accelerate this process. We also discussed regional issues. We are interested in the stability of the region, which is of great importance to us,” said the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Western Balkans.
The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Milososki, shares Bunfort’s position that bilateral relations between the two countries are at an excellent level, but also that there is now increased interest and activities for greater economic cooperation.