MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. The European Union will see its positions wane on the global arena, if it fails to build mutually advantageous relations with Moscow, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto noted after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
"As the new US administration takes office, there is a possibility to look at things from another side," he advised.
"If the United States starts building international relations on a bilateral basis, if China strengthens while the European Union fails to build constructive relations with Russia amid this background, then the EU will lose its positions on the international scene," the Hungarian foreign minister noted.
"A [potential] conflict between Russia and the European Union will have extremely grave consequences for Hungary," Szijjarto warned.
"In world history, Central Europe has always been in the worst position and that is why it is important for us that the West and the East should cooperate positively, culturally and pragmatically," the Hungarian top diplomat said.
Fight against terrorism
The fight against terrorism is impossible without cooperation with Moscow, Szijjarto said.
The top diplomat has urged to abandon negative stereotypes about Russia. "I want the normalization of Hungary’s ties with Russia. We have common interests that are very important for Europe."
"Our cooperation in the anti-terrorism issue is impossible without cooperation with Russia," he stressed. "There won’t be peace in the Middle East if Russia does not play a major role. If now Russia starts playing a key role, then everything is becoming positive," Szijjarto said.