BUDAPEST - The new Hungarian government will be ready for pragmatic cooperation with Russia, said Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, which won the parliamentary elections on 12 April.
Russian-Hungarian relations
Magyar said the new Hungarian government would be ready for pragmatic cooperation with Russia: „I have also noted that Moscow and the Kremlin, as well as Beijing, have issued statements to that effect. I thank them for respecting the choice of the Hungarian voters and the Hungarian people and for their willingness to cooperate pragmatically, which Hungary is ready for, because geography is geography.“
He also expressed the hope that relations between Hungary and Russia would „will change in the right direction in the near future“.
The situation around Russian energy resources
Magyar said that stopping the supply of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline threatens Hungary's energy security: „We will always try to buy oil at the lowest possible price and with maximum reliability. But look at the Druzhba pipeline. What has happened threatens Hungary's energy supply.“
He said Budapest will seek pragmatic relations with Moscow because it is „vulnerable to energy supplies from Russia“.
Magyar said he wanted to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin the terms and prices of the current energy agreements between Hungary and Russia, including the Paks II nuclear power plant project: „I could ask for better financial terms.“
According to Magyar, the price of the construction of Paks II by Rosatom is significantly overestimated: „The expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant is being done at an extremely inflated price. I can say that we will review every contract, modify it if necessary, or cancel it in the extreme case.“
He also called on the European Union to immediately lift anti-Russian sanctions once the Ukrainian conflict is resolved: „We hope that the negotiations will bring a result and then the European sanctions will be lifted.“
He said the sanctions against Russia had led to rising energy prices and „Europe has no interest in buying raw materials at exorbitant prices“, because it's „harms its competitiveness“.
Hungarian foreign policy
Magyar promised that the new Hungarian government will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and expects the same approach: „I ask all foreign countries to treat Hungary with the same respect that it shows them. We must respect other sovereign states. Unlike in the past, I will not interfere in the internal affairs of any other country, even those in the Balkans.“
Russia's reaction to Magyar's statement
Moscow is ready to develop relations with the new Hungarian government depending on its understanding of its national interests, the Russian foreign minister said Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Vesti. „We'd rather look at concrete actions,“ He said.
No contacts with Magyar are currently on President Vladimir Putin's agenda, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.
According to Peskov, Russia will base its relations with the new Hungarian government on the fact that the two countries have a number of common projects that require cooperation and dialogue.
TASS/gnews.cz - GH
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