Hungary and Russia are actively preparing a new wave of bilateral cooperation agreements spanning trade, science, and medicine, ahead of the next session of their Intergovernmental Commission of Economic Cooperation, which is scheduled to take place in Moscow later this year.

Gábor Nagy, head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Russia and Central Asia, told Russian state news agency TASS that joint working groups from both countries are already finalising documents in several areas. “Work continues in various fields. Specialists are working out the details, which will be presented at the fall commission meeting,” Nagy noted. Although the exact date of the session has yet to be determined, preparations are reportedly well underway.

Ongoing engagement amid European isolation of Russia

This renewed momentum in bilateral relations comes despite Russia’s growing international isolation due to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hungary has consistently maintained a unique position within the European Union, fostering closer ties with Moscow in the energy, education, and healthcare sectors. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government has repeatedly emphasised pragmatic cooperation with Russia, even as most of Hungary’s EU partners have imposed sanctions and cut diplomatic contact.

The Intergovernmental Commission, co-chaired by Hungarian Foreign Minister PĂ©ter SzijjĂĄrtĂł and Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, last met in September 2024 in Budapest. That meeting resulted in the signing of a protocol of cooperation across a range of strategic areas, including energy, agriculture, sport, public health, and culture.

Focus on science, medicine, and education

Among the agreements signed in Budapest were a cooperation accord between Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Hungary’s Ministry of Culture and Innovation, and a memorandum between the Hungarian Foreign Ministry and Russian authorities concerning the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme. The initiative enables hundreds of foreign students, including Russians, to pursue higher education in Hungary each year.

The upcoming commission meeting in Moscow is expected to further expand on these foundations, with special focus on medical collaboration, trade initiatives, and scientific exchange. “Medicine, trade, science—these are the priority areas,” Nagy told TASS when asked about the agenda.

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