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Hungarian official says economic development minister traveled to Russia on August 21

On July 21, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced the start of new negotiations on gas supplies from Russia

VIENNA, August 23. /TASS/. Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff of the Hungarian prime minister, said the country’s Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy traveled to Moscow on August 21 to discuss energy supplies, the Hungarian news outlet Index reported on Tuesday.

"Hungarian Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy arrived in Moscow on Sunday onboard a military plane. He held talks on energy in the Russian capital, which will hopefully be successful," Gulyas said.

On July 21, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced the start of new negotiations on gas supplies from Russia. He said Hungary's intention to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas is dictated by the need to ensure the security of the country's energy supply in the coming months. The minister said that the Hungarian government now sees its most important task in ensuring the necessary volumes of energy supplies for the national industry and the population of the country. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on July 29 that Hungary expects to conclude a deal this summer to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of Russian gas.

In September last year, the Hungarian company MVM concluded two long-term contracts with Gazprom, which provide for the supply of a total of 4.5 billion cubic meters of fuel per year through pipelines that go across Serbia and Austria, bypassing Ukraine. The agreement is to last for 15 years and can be revised 10 years after the start of its implementation.

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