(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 16 - "The CEI was founded on the conviction that European integration begins with cooperation," said Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), in Budapest, where he met with Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orbán. The meeting continued the discussions that began on July 10 in Rome at the Friends of the Western Balkans ministerial meeting. The main topics of the meeting included regional cooperation, the Western Balkans', Ukraine's, and Moldova's accession process, as well as new initiatives in justice, security, and connectivity. "For more than 35 years, we have been fostering trusting relationships, promoting joint projects, and assisting the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova on their European journey. Achieving peace and rebuilding Ukraine is the most difficult challenge since the postwar period, when Europe was rediscovering the reasons for its reunification," Dal Mas stated. Orbán, for his part, reiterated Hungary's support for accelerating the Western Balkans' EU accession process and emphasised the importance of the port of Trieste and the transport corridors connecting the Mediterranean to Central Europe, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (Imec). (ANSA).