Serbian leader applauds potential ‘military alliance’ with NATO maverick

(MENAFN) Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky visited Belgrade on Tuesday to sign a roadmap outlining 79 joint military activities between Hungary and Serbia for 2024. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed that this cooperation is moving the two countries closer to forming a "military alliance."

Both nations have been challenging the dominant Western stance on the Ukraine conflict and their relations with Russia. Vucic also thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his role during NATO’s military intervention in the Balkans in 1999, noting that Orban’s influence had helped prevent a land attack on what was then Yugoslavia.

Orban, who served as prime minister from 1998 to 2002, had Hungary join NATO in 1999, shortly before the bombing campaign began. Szalay-Bobrovniczky expressed Hungary’s support for Serbia’s EU ambitions, despite the EU’s demand that Serbia align its foreign policy with Western nations before advancing its candidacy. Both Hungary and Serbia remain critical of the EU’s approach to Russia, with Orban accusing Brussels of damaging the EU economy with sanctions, while Vucic has vowed to uphold Serbia's ties with Russia.

This development follows a trilateral defense agreement signed by Kosovo, Albania, and Croatia, which Vucic has condemned for breaching past security pacts and possibly bypassing NATO’s leadership.

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