BELGRADE, Serbia

The Hungarian foreign minister has said Serbia's EU membership process is progressing very slowly and it should be accelerated.

Szijjarto's remarks came on Tuesday after he met with Serbian European Integration Minister Tanja Miscevic in the capital Budapest.

"The integration of the Western Balkan region is not only in the national security and national economic interest of Hungary, but also in the interest of the whole of Europe," said Szijjarto.

He expressed that Serbia's EU membership would contribute to the EU in terms of physical, economic, and energy supply security, and reacted to other member states that slowed Serbia's EU membership.

Leaders in Western Balkans have repeatedly criticized the EU for the slow progress on their EU membership bids.

The Western Balkans is home to three EU candidate states – Montenegro, Serbia, and North Macedonia.