A bunch of Hungarian soccer fans from the south region watching TV had their fists in the air when it turned out that the Hungarian national team was drawn into a group with Serbia in the qualifiers for the upcoming European Championship, i.e.: we were put in the same hat as the Serbians. Football experts are buzzing. They won't be easy opponents, no doubt. They never were. And not just in sports.
The cross-section of the bloody history of the two peoples has prepared the Serbs with just enough experience for us, just as we, Hungarians, have come to know our southern neighbors over the centuries, a habitus different from ours, all the good and bad qualities of the Silaj Balkan folk spirit. Nevertheless, the bad memories of our common past, which goes back a long time and is undoubtedly saddened by a lot of bitterness, are now being charitably forgotten by a positive relationship from a completely different perspective - the results of cooperation conceived in the spirit of reciprocity.
In place of old grievances, through politicization based on well-understood national interests, trust capital has been accumulated, which provides a strong foundation for the long-term cooperation between the two nations. The common goals and the interdependence of the two neighboring countries are now exemplified by numerous investments that have been implemented or are being planned. According to the latest news, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucsic announced on Saturday that he and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have agreed to build an oil pipeline to Hungary. The new pipeline, which will be completed in no more than two years, would replace the dependence of the Serbs on Croatia, since until now Serbia only receives Russian crude oil delivered by tankers from a Croatian terminal. The new oil pipeline would make it possible to supply our southern neighbors with cheaper Ural crude oil by connecting to the Barátság crude oil pipeline.
The note published in Magyar Nemzet can be read here in its entirety.
Author: Károly Pósa
Image: Szilárd Koszticsák
