Hungary backs Bosnia Herzegovina's rapid accession to EU

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that his country supports a speedy process for Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BH) accession to the European Union (EU).

Orban made these remarks during an official visit to Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital.

"The Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina are more necessary for the EU. Whatever is spoken in Brussels, Hungary is in favor of the rapid membership of the Balkans, or more precisely, of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Orban said at a joint press conference with Borjana Kristo, chairwoman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers.

Europe needs new power, energy, and dynamics, he added.

Earlier, Kristo welcomed Orban to Sarajevo for his one-day official visit with an official ceremony.

Kristo, for her part, said that good cooperation with Hungary is important for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I believe today's visit will be an important step towards the development of mutual cooperation," she said.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's top priorities are joining the political and economic community of European states, as well as membership in NATO.

The Balkan country emerged as a potential candidate for the bloc during the European Council summit in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2003.

It formally applied for EU membership in 2016.

Candidacy status is the first step in a country's long-term EU accession process.

After a country is granted candidate status, accession negotiations begin in stages, provided that the conditions are met. Accession negotiations can take years to begin.