Putin in Budapest – Putin: Hungary key partner in gas supply for Europe
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Russia considers Hungary an important partner in supplying gas to Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Wednesday.
The mechanism allowing Hungary and Russia to cooperate at the highest level has been in place for several years now and has been successful, especially when it comes to trade and economic relations, Putin said.
The two countries are now looking to diversify their relations, the president said, adding, at the same time, that the area of energy was still their top priority.
Putin said that 2018 saw a jump in bilateral trade and added that the two countries were working to further increase its turnover.
Parties at the Budapest talks signed an important package of agreements, which will further deepen ties between Hungary and Russia, Putin said.
One of those accords will facilitate increasing the volume of Russian energy exports, he added.
The Russian president said he attributed great significance to Hungary’s Paks upgrade project and added that the talks touched on other joint projects such as Hungary’s inland navigation and renovation of Budapest’s metro lines.
Other subjects on the agenda included the Ukraine crisis, Syria, energy supply routes, as well as ways to consolidate Russia-EU relations, Putin said. Parties at the talks also discussed the situation of Christian communities in the Middle East and North Africa, he said, and offered Russia’s contribution to assisting Christians in those regions. He added that persecution based on religious beliefs was unacceptable.