Rebuilding pragmatic cooperation with Russia is in the best interests of Hungary and the whole of Europe because while the current European political context does not favour European-Russian cooperation, it is clear that European competitiveness cannot be regained without this, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at his press conference held on Tuesday in Budapest.
The Minister had talks with Alexander Mikhailov, Governor of Kursk Oblast in Russia, following which the Ministry, the General Assembly of Baranya County and the public administration office of Kursk Oblast signed a cooperation agreement.
After this, Mr Szijjártó highlighted: Europe must prepare that, following the fulfilment of the Minsk Agreements, pragmatic economic cooperation must be given a new impetus. This is equally in the best interests of Europe, Russia and Ukraine. Until these agreements are fulfilled, we have a preparatory period which may accommodate the reinforcement of regional cooperation schemes, he explained.
As he said, it also evident that the sanctions of the EU and the Russian economic embargo imposed in response thereto have caused European economies – including the Hungarian one – significant losses, and Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Republics, too, have suffered in consequence. He reiterated: while two years ago Russia was Hungary’s second most important trade partner, it is now only the fourteenth, and Hungarian businesses have forfeited export opportunities worth some USD two billion in recent months.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade took the view that, in this situation, the significance of regional cooperation schemes is increasing, and this is why they have decided to engage in closer economic cooperation with Kursk Region. This is part of the process of establishing cooperation with Russian counties and regions in increasingly large numbers in order to reduce losses, to bridge the difficulties that exist, and to prepare for the time when the sanctions are lifted, he pointed out.
Mr Szijjártó stated: its geographical proximity, advanced agriculture, heavy industry which is based on mining, and the significance of nuclear energy are all in favour of Kursk Region.
Within the framework of this cooperation scheme, the parties will concentrate on four main areas: agriculture, medical tourism, cooperation in higher education, and nuclear energy. Regarding the latter, he pointed out: there are ongoing negotiations as to how Hungarian companies could play a role in the Kursk project in order to gain experience which they could benefit from upon the enlargement of the Paks atomic power station.
Mr Szijjártó said: the delegation of Kursk Region is not just a political, but also an economic delegation, and a business forum began a few hours ago which is being attended by more than 80 actors from the fields of business, education and science. The purpose of the forum is to implement bilateral economic, academic and educational cooperation.
Alexander Mikhailov said: the leadership of Kursk Oblast, together with representatives from business and science, will do their utmost to implement the terms agreed upon in the cooperation agreements also in practice, and to make the cooperation useful for all parties involved.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
