BUDAPEST, July 5. /TASS/. Russia is fully meeting its responsibilities to supply Hungary with oil and gas, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference on Wednesday following his meeting with Russian Minister of Health and the co-chairman of the Russian-Hungarian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation Mikhail Murashko.
"Russia is a reliable partner in terms of the implementation of long-term oil and gas contracts," he said, adding that cooperation with Russia is a long-term guarantee of Hungary's energy security.
Szijjarto added that despite the rigid limits set by European Union sanctions on Russian-Hungarian cooperation, Moscow and Budapest can continue working together in such areas as energy, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. "Sanctions set a rigid framework for cooperation but opportunities are still in place in such important areas as the nuclear power sector, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and healthcare," Szijjarto wrote on his page on Facebook [banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been deemed extremist in Russia -TASS].
The World Health Organization conference now underway in Budapest "provides an excellent opportunity to consider critical issues of bilateral cooperation with the Russian Minister of Health, who is the co-chair of the Hungarian-Russian economic commission," the Hungarian foreign minister added.
In turn, Murashko noted that Russia and Hungary have achieved record high indicators in economic cooperation over the last decade. "The interaction between our countries continues, notwithstanding sanctions, and "reached record high figures over the last decade," Murashko said. "The trade turnover between Russia and Hungary also increased last year," he noted.
The energy and healthcare sectors remain priority areas for bilateral cooperation, the Russian minister said. In particular, the parties are interested in working in the pharmaceuticals industry and in treatment of cancer diseases and joint projects are in place, the minister added.
According to him, Hungary plans to keep the pragmatic approach towards cooperation with Russia and will not politicize economic and trade issues. Interaction will continue in areas not exposed to sanctions, including energy, trade and communications, and Hungary "will not politicize these issues," he noted.