– The sanctions policy obviously narrows the field of cooperation, and since the sanctions are binding European rules, even though we have our opinion on them, we naturally respect them – FM Peter Szijjarto said during a joint press briefing with Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murasko in Budapest. This is the first time since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine that a member of the Russian government has visited a member state of the European Union.
We will maintain and continue our cooperation with Russia in areas not restricted by sanctions, quite simply because this is in our national interest and in the interest of the Hungarian people,
− FM Szijjarto added. He said that among these areas, the energy sector will be given special emphasis, because energy cooperation with Moscow is the guarantee of Hungary's energy security. – This is not an ideological or political issue for us, but a question of hard, physical reality – the foreign minister stressed.
The new Paks nuclear power plant is a long-term guarantee in terms of the security of Hungary's supply, and Hungary has never supported and will never support any sanctions against the nuclear industry that restrict its operation.
– Mr Szijjarto pointed out. He also underlined that construction was now underway at the Paks nuclear power plant, where the gap-walling works have begun and the excavation of the soil from underneath the plant's prospective "Block 6" will also commence soon.
Energy supply would become impossible
With regard to natural gas and oil supplies, Hungary's foreign minister underlined that if Hungary was to give up the possibility of importing gas and oil from Russia, the country's energy supply would become physically impossible. In order to secure its energy supplies, it has already imported almost 2.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Gazprom this year. Thanks to this, Hungarian natural gas storage facilities now hold 42% of the country's annual natural gas consumption, compared to European storage facilities that hold an average of 23% of European annual consumption.
Of course, we are also putting a lot of emphasis on diversification, but we use the term diversification as it is defined, int he sense that it allows us to bring in as many sources as possible to Hungary's energy supply, and not that it's the replacement of one source with another, when it comes to economic cooperation. We support that Hungarian companies maintain their operations in Russia in areas not affected by sanctions, in exactly the same way as their Western competitors do
– Szijjarto said. He added that the government will provide Hungarian companies operating in the banking, pharmaceutical, health, agricultural, food and construction sectors with all the support they need to operate successfully in the Russian market, even under the current circumstances.
Hungary enjoys priority
Speaking at the press conference, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murasko said that Russian-Hungarian trade relations have reached record levels in areas that are not subject to sanctions.
Russia will do its utmost to implement the Paks 2 project efficiently and on time. In addition, the supply of gas and oil will continue unperturbed and uninterrupted, as this will ensure the energy security of the Hungarian people and Hungary
− the Russian minister underlined.
Responding to Magyar Nemzet's question, Mr Murasko said it was no coincidence that Hungary is the first EU member state to be visited by a member of the Russian government since the outbreak of the war.
Hungary is a priority country for us, both in an economic and a cultural sense. I would like to stress that the Hungarian government's policy is sound and rational. And this is why our cooperation is also rational. We would like to continue working together in this spirit
− Mr. Murasko said.
Also in response to a question from Magyar Nemzet, Mr Murasko explained that, due to the high quality of Hungarian medicines and pharmaceuticals, they are also interested in cooperation in the field of healthcare. In order to promote this cooperation, they would like to explore the possibilities of vaccine production in Hungary, he added.
We will support the work of Hungarian companies in Russia
− the Russian minister emphasized.
Cover photo: Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto welcomes Russia's health minister (Photo: Noemi Bruzak)
