VIENNA, January 11. /TASS/. Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto is certain that Russia and China cannot vaccinate their own citizens with harmful coronavirus vaccines, he said in an interview Monday.
"In our childhood, nobody cared that vaccines came from the East, and today this is associated with the protection of the Hungarian people from various diseases. How can [anyone] seriously think that the Russians and the Chinese would intentionally inoculate their citizens with harmful vaccines?" Szijjarto emphasized.
He stated his readiness to take the vaccine once it is his civil category’s turn to vaccinate. He underscored that the Hungarian experts noted the high level of Russian technological standards and professional skills.
"It is very likely that we will be able to count on the Russian vaccine in large volumes, should they develop [production] capabilities," he concluded.
On January 8, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced his intention to continue negotiations with Russia, Israel and China on the procurement of coronavirus vaccines, because the EU has been dragging its feet on procuring them. He highly praised the Russian anti-coronavirus jab, but noted that it alone would not be enough for Hungary due to insufficient production capabilities. In November, Hungary became the first EU country to receive the Sputnik V vaccine for examination.