"Hungary Poised to Protect Right to Sovereignty Within EU Framework"

In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, Russia's ambassador to Budapest talked about Russia-Hungary relations and answered the question why Viktor Orban met with Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

Peking, 2023. október 17. A Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda által közreadott képen Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök (b3) és Vlagyimir Putyin orosz elnök (j3) kétoldalú tárgyalást folytat Pekingben 2023. október 17-én. Mellettük Nagy Márton gazdaságfejlesztési miniszter (b), Szijjártó Péter külgazdasági és külügyminiszter (b2), Szergej Lavrov orosz külügyminiszter (j2). Orbán Viktor és Vlagyimir Putyin az Övezet és út elnevezésű nemzetközi együttműködési fórum harmadik csúcstalálkozójára érkezett a kínai fővárosba. MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán Fotó: Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán

In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, Evgeny Stanislavov, Russian ambassador to Hungary talked about relations between the two countries and answered the question why Viktor Orban met with Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

I would like to draw attention to what Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin said: Viktor Orban is not a pro-Russian, but a pro-Hungarian politician who has the courage to protect the interests of his people,

the ambassador highlighted.

 Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Hungary Evgeny Arnoldovich Stanislavov (Photo: Russian Embassy website)

There is nothing unusual about the leaders of two countries meeting on the sidelines of a summit and having face-to-face talks, Stanislavov pointed out. Moreover, there is nothing unusual about the meeting in question, as the leaders of our countries have met almost every year for long years since 2013, the ambassador noted. In his view, this is why 

after the talks, Vladimir Putin emphasized that "Hungary is one of the few European countries with which Russia maintains and develops bilateral relations", noting that "in recent decades, relations have been built solely on the basis of taking into account each country's interests, drawing on everything positive we have inherited from the past".

Putin particularly appreciated that Hungary is a partner ready to discuss not only bilateral relations, but also European and global issues although the two countries' positions do not always coincide, Evgeny Stanislavov said. During their exchange, they touched on the conflict in Ukraine in particular. Following the talks, Russia's leader revealed details in this regard, stressing that the Ukrainian president revoking the decree that prohibits negotiations with Russia would be the first step toward discussing the prospects for some kind of peaceful settlement.

While trade between the two countries increased by more than 80 percent last year, it decreased by 35 percent in the first seven months of this year, the TASS correspondent pointed out.

Due to the restrictive unilateral measures of the European Union against our country, the portfolio of promising bilateral projects naturally lost many developments, which means that the growth potential of bilateral trade has decreased, but remained in tact,

the ambassador pointed out.

We rightly consider the Paks II project to be the flagship of bilateral relations with Hungary, Russia's ambassador to Budapest said, giving a detailed report on the state of the investment.

He emphasized that it comes as no surprise to him or to the Russian construction company that the West is trying with all its might to prevent Paks II from being built with Russian technology. But as he said, there is also a strong competitive economic component to this, not just political considerations.

"Our Hungarian partners are pragmatically thinking politicians who serve to protect Hungary's own interests in the face of foreign ones. Moreover, this does not only apply to their relations with Moscow - at least it would be presumptuous of us to think so. Budapest also defends its right to sovereignty within the framework of the European Union in the area of illegal migration, the protection of traditional values ​​and the fight against LGBT propaganda."

At the end of the interview, they also touched on the upkeep and maintenance of military graves, which has become a very important topic for Russia at the moment. In this regard, the ambassador expressed his gratitude that Russian soldiers' graves in Hungary are being cared for according to the agreement between the two countries.

Cover image: Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold bilateral talks in Beijing on October 17, 2023 (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)