Hungary strives for cooperation based on mutual respect with Russia, says Szijjártó in Moscow

Hungary strives for cooperation with Russia based on mutual respect, even amid the current geopolitical situation, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Facebook on Friday.

Cooperation with Russia in the key strategic areas is crucial for Hungary, the minister said, noting that the country’s energy security would not be guaranteed without maintaining ties with Russia.

Health care and agriculture are two sectors not subject to sanctions, so Hungary continues to support its agricultural and health companies looking to expand on the Russian market, and promotes closes cooperation in health care, too, Szijjártó said.

He praised Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, the head of the economic mixed committee, for his contributions to strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas such as gas supply and the delivery of coronavirus vaccines.

“Sports, geopolitics have nothing to do with each other”

Sports and geopolitics “have nothing to do with each other; at least they shouldn’t,” Szijjártó said after meeting Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin in Moscow on Friday.

“The Hungarian athletes whose decades of hard work were wasted because they could not attend the Los Angeles Olympics would have a lot to say about this,” Szijjártó said on Facebook.

Hungary’s government supports the International Olympic Committee’s efforts aimed at organising a “complete Olympics” in Paris.

Hungary agrees with the position that an athlete’s participation in the Olympics or any other international competition should depend solely on their performance, he added.

“We believe that sports can bring about peace, which is why we support the chance for athletes to compete against each other amid peaceful circumstances,” Szijjártó said. “This isn’t something we just pay lip service to, but we also follow up our words with actions,” he said, noting that the Belarusian national soccer team and the Ukrainian handball team both played their respective European and world championship qualifiers in Hungary.