PRAGUE, September 29. /TASS/. Hungary is a sovereign state and it alone chooses where to buy natural gas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis.

"Hungary is a sovereign state," Orban emphasized. "Hungary decides on its own where to buy gas and how it will get it," he stressed.

"When choosing the gas transportation route, we rely on the path that guarantees greater safety [of supplies] for us. We select the route where energy supplies will be the safest. Nobody is going to tell us what to do. We suggest that the Ukrainians independently tackle their own problems. This matter is none of Ukraine’s business. This issue pertains to Hungary’s sovereignty," Prime Minister Orban emphasized.

On Monday, Budapest signed a new 15-year contract with Gazprom on the supply of 4.5 bln cubic meters of gas annually bypassing Ukraine. Hungary will start receiving gas via Balkan Stream and through the pipelines of Southeastern Europe starting from October 1.