Szijjarto briefs foreign diplomats on Putin visit

Budapest (MTI) – Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has briefed several foreign diplomats on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Tuesday visit to Budapest.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that Szijjarto held consultations with German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and US Ambassador in Budapest Colleen Bell.

He told them that Putin and Orban had struck a major agreement in favour of Hungary’s energy security. Central European energy security is an all-European issue and responsibility, the statement said. Hungary’s ability to access untapped gas under its expiring contract from 2016 is a favourable development for the entire EU, it added.

The minister informed the diplomats that Orban had made it clear to the Russian president that Hungary finds a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict the only acceptable one. Szijjarto also said that rational cooperation is needed with Russia in order to secure Europe’s competitiveness and energy security.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters