On Thursday, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács told public television channel M1 that thousands of jobs depend on a good relationship between Russia and Hungary, starting from the pharmaceutics industry, through agriculture and the food industry to education.

The Government Spokesperson also pointed out that Russia was Hungary’s number one non-EU partner, but the EU’s policy of sanctions and a shift in energy prices have changed this. Mr. Kovács emphasised that we must do everything in our powers to counterbalance these changes, adding that we must do so in line with EU and international policies, of course.

The Government’s position is that normalising the Russian-EU relationship is not only in the vital interest of the European Union but that of the entire international community as well.

Referring to the Paks investment Mr. Kovács said that Hungary is ready to face EU investigations. We believe that even taking the technological secrets into consideration, this agreement is a fully transparent one, in which both the market construction and the country’s energy supply are placed on sound foundation, he explained.

(MTI)