ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. Hungary will not cave in to the West’s pressure and give up profitable supplies of oil and gas from Russia, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Despite the geopolitical and ideological pressure, Budapest is not ready to abandon efficient partnership that it has in the area of energy supplies, the minister said and mentioned cooperation with Russia in this respect, noting that he had been repeatedly asked why Hungary continued purchasing gas and oil from Russia. When the country decides to buy energy resources from some sources this is not a political decision, but a practical issue for Hungary, he stressed.

Irrespective of the pressure that Hungary has been facing in recent two years, the country is still against considering energy policy as a certain component of the geopolitical agenda, Szijjarto added.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is being held on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.