Vucic: We have no closer or greater ally in Europe than Hungary

ZABALJ - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday in Zabalj, northern Serbia, that Serbia currently had no closer or greater ally in Europe than Hungary, and vowed to prevent anything from eroding the good relations between the two nations as long as he was in politics.

"There is another thing we Serbs must not forget - that we have no closer or greater ally in Europe today than Hungary, on any issue and at any time," Vucic said in a speech after attending the consecration of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Snows with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok.

The church has been renovated with assistance from the Hungarian government.

Reflecting on the time the UN General Assembly was to vote on a Srebrenica resolution, Vucic said Hungarian PM Viktor Orban had called him by phone to tell him that Hungary was under great pressure and would abstain from voting.

Vucic said that, after hearing his "silence at the other end of the line," Orban had decided to change the decision.

"Then he said: 'I understand, friends are there in difficult times, Hungary will vote against,'" Vucic quoted Orban as saying at the time.

He said future developments would bring many difficult things to Europe but added that he hoped that Serbs, Hungarians and other nations would be able to understand how important peace was and fight for that peace together.