BUDAPEST, November 21. /TASS/. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto met with Rosatom Chief Executive Officer Alexey Likhachev on Monday prior to the opening of the international forum dubbed Atomexpo-2022 in Sochi. The parties discussed the construction of the second stage of the nuclear power plant (NPP) in Paks, which is being built with Russian technology, according to Szijjarto.

"The expansion of the nuclear power plant in Paks meets the interests of Hungary’s strategic and national security," he wrote on Facebook (a social media site banned in Russia since it is owned by Meta corporation deemed extremist by Russian authorities). "It is no coincidence that with only a week having passed, today we are again sitting at the negotiating table with Alexey Likhachev and the leadership of Rosatom," Hungary’s top diplomat added, noting that they had a meeting in Samarkand during the Organization of Turkic States (OTH) summit on November 10, to specify the required steps for constructing two new nuclear power units at the nuke plant in Paks.

The Atomexpo-2022 forum in Sochi offers a good opportunity to discuss new projects and outline the most important tasks in the area of nuclear energy use, the Hungarian minister also stressed. "Atomexpo is one of the most important meetings in the nuclear sector," Szijjarto, who will participate in the meeting, wrote.

The forum will last for two days and the main theme is entitled: ‘Nuclear Spring: Creating a Sustainable Future’. Experts and specialists from over 50 countries are expected to attend the event.