Good Cooperation With Russia in Hungary's Interest, Says FM Szijjártó
- 25 Aug 2021 10:16 AM
- Hungary Matters
Cooperation with Russia has produced “practical and pragmatic” results, “despite a not too supportive international environment”, Szijjártó said.
The minister pointed to the “extraordinary health and economic challenges” of recent months as well as the “humanitarian and security impacts of clearly ill-advised geopolitical decisions” and called for switching to “civilised international cooperation based on mutual respect”.
All through history “Hungary has always been better off when there was civilised cooperation between East and West rather than conflict”, he said.
Szijjártó said Hungary had “benefitted a lot” from its relations with Russia, and cited joint Covid vaccination efforts as an example.
He said that Hungary would not have been in a position to complete “Europe’s most successful vaccination drive” without the Russian Sputnik vaccine.
He added that talks on producing Sputnik in Debrecen from the end of next year were “in an advanced stage”.
He mentioned mutual investments as further areas of cooperation, the production of railway carriages, as well as energy security.
Foreign Minister Comments on Russia Gas Supplies
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a press conference that a recent agreement on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline “has made clear that Russia will continue to be crucial for Europe’s gas supplies in future”.
Conclusion of the agreement between Western countries and Russia shows a mutually beneficial energy cooperation between the parties, and “it would not be fair to threaten (sanctions) against central or south-eastern European countries for modernising their national networks and building an alternative supply route”, he said.
The Hungarian government considers the matter from a strategic point of view, he added.
“There is no national sovereignty without energy security, therefore we must put our own interests first,” he said.
MTI Photo: Tibor Illyés
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