State Secretary for Security Policy and International Cooperation Dr István Mikola opened the MVM-Gazprom celebratory event that was held on the occasion of the 20-year jubilee of the Hungarian-Russian long-term cooperation within the framework of the Budapest Energy Summit.

Mr Mikola said in his opening speech that there will be a need for Russian gas also in the long run, and there is a need for Russian gas in Hungary as well which is best testified to by the fact that 80 to 90% of Hungary’s natural gas imports originate from Russia, and almost the totality of Hungary’s oil imports come from Russia. The State Secretary stressed that Russia is an essential partner in the energy supply of Hungarian consumers.

He further highlighted that successful political cooperation constitutes the basis of fruitful economic cooperation, and in harmony with the policy of Easterly Opening, we regard Russia as a particularly important partner. He said in this context that the objective of Hungary’s external trade policy and external foreign policy is to enhance the dynamic Russian-Hungarian economic and investment cooperation also in sectors such as agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry.

The State Secretary added that the Hungarian governmental foreign trade policy and foreign policy will continue to support long-term partnerships between businesses, similar to the cooperation between Gazprom and MVM.

On behalf of the Russian party, Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Board of Gazprom highlighted in his speech that they have a vested interest in filling up Hungary’s gas storage facilities, while he also touched upon Russia’s objectives regarding the diverse uses of gas, mentioning as an example the goal of increasing the number of gas filling stations and the use of gas-powered trains.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)