MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. The new Hungarian government that will be appointed following the recent parliamentary elections will maintain economic ties with Russia, particularly those in the energy sphere, a prominent Russian expert has told TASS.

Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, a senior research associate at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) said it was unlikely that future cooperation between Moscow and Budapest will be frozen. Some projects have a future, he said, naming the Paks-2 nuclear power plant project as one of them.

"There are objective problems related to the Hungarian economy’s access to hydrocarbons. Now is not the time to prohibit something, because many EU countries are experiencing huge problems related to hydrocarbons and their prices," he said, commenting on energy ties between Russia and Hungary.

In turn, Alexander Pivovarenko, a research fellow at the Mediterranean studies center at the Department of International Relations, National Research University Higher School of Economics, said that even "during Viktor Orban’s tenure, despite a confrontational political stance, Hungary engaged in lots of projects with its neighbors in the region."

"This applies to solar energy projects and alternative energy supply routes. These companies and projects operated over the past few years, and they are likely to stay in place going forward," he added.

Political dimension

According to Pivovarenko, the new Hungarian government’s Russian policies "may become more principled and even confrontational in the second half of the year, when the new government solidifies its power and holds a series of negotiations with Brussels."

"The question of gas, oil, energy may be interconnected with the question of unblocking European funds for Hungary," he said. "The promise to unblock them and gain access to European money was a cornerstone of Peter Magyar’s campaign program."

At the same time, Ofitserov-Belsky said there are still many in Hungary who are in favor of mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia.

"Viktor Orban is the man who came out and said what numerous forces in Europe quietly believe but were not ready to say publicly. He was ready to publicly say what many others were thinking. Although sensible forces in Europe were defeated in a sense, this does not mean that the views that Orban expressed publicly will somehow go by the wayside. No, new common sense voices will emerge," he said.

Elections in Hungary

Hungary’s National Election Office reported earlier that the opposition Tisza party won the April 12 elections, securing 138 out of 199 seats in the National Assembly (unicameral parliament). Tisza party leader Peter Magyar will be elected prime minister during the parliament’s first session due in early May.

Magyar will succeed Viktor Orban, leader of the Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance party. Fidesz, together with its junior coalition partner, the Christian Democratic People’s Party, won 55 seats.