Peace and stability in the Western Balkans is fully in Hungary's interest and Bosnia and Herzegovina “undoubtedly” plays a key role in the region, foreign minister Peter Szijjarto told international peace envoy in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt, according to Hungarian media. He reiterated the stance objecting the introduction of any sanctions on political leaders, adding that talks with the Western Balkans are more welcome instead.

In a phone talk on Tuesday evening, Szijjarto said that peace and stability in the region is fully in Hungary’s national security and economic interest.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina undoubtedly plays a key role from this point of view in the region and this is why we, Hungarians consider it important to have a continued meaningful dialogue based on mutual respect with the leaders of Bosnia,” Szijjarto wrote on Facebook.

According to the Hungary Today portal, Szijjarto also said he sees no point in threatening with sanctions and suggested that European politicians should realise that “with the Western Balkans would be more welcome than talking about them.”

The article also recalled of a letter that Hungary's representative in the European Parliament Katalin Cseh recently warned that the government of prime minister Viktor Orban, according to press reports, provided 100 million euros to the “campaign of Bosnia's Serb leader Milorad Dodik ‘aimed at breaking up the Western Balkan country’.”

She also made a mention of a leaked document, according to which, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi allegedly “openly colluded” with Dodik in an attempt to break up Bosnia.

MEP Tamas Deutsch of Orban's Fidesz party dismissed the allegations as untrue and accused Hungary's left-wing politicians of being known for “spreading fake news and smears” about the Hungarian government.

Orban's recent statement about integration of Bosnia as a country with two million Muslims posing a security challenge sparked strong reactions, including proposal of banning Orban's visit to Sarajevo announced for late January.

The Hungarian PM objected a possibility of sanctions being imposed on Dodik, whom he met in November last year in Banja Luka, the administrative seat of the Bosnian Serb entity.