WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.693 Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome the President of Russia! 2 00:00:06.693 --> 00:00:12.985 I would like to thank him on behalf of Hungary 3 00:00:12.985 --> 00:00:20.307 and the Hungarian people for visiting us. 4 00:00:20.307 --> 00:00:28.961 A visit by the President of Russia is always a great honour for us. 5 00:00:28.961 --> 00:00:37.252 We held lengthy and very successful talks that prioritised 6 00:00:37.252 --> 00:00:46.668 economic issues. Perhaps you know that Hungary strives to maintain 7 00:00:46.668 --> 00:00:53.509 transparent, good contacts with Russia. 8 00:00:53.509 --> 00:01:01.037 Once a year we discuss the state of bilateral affairs. 9 00:01:01.037 --> 00:01:05.325 Last year, I visited Moscow at the invitation of the President, 10 00:01:05.325 --> 00:01:09.032 and we are grateful to him for making a visit in return. 11 00:01:09.032 --> 00:01:15.951 We stated that both sides have fulfilled the promises that were made 12 00:01:15.951 --> 00:01:22.771 two years ago, a year ago. We signed regional cooperation documents. 13 00:01:22.771 --> 00:01:30.471 Hungary opened its General Consulate in Kazan and we signed a plan 14 00:01:30.471 --> 00:01:36.448 of consultations at the level of foreign ministries. 15 00:01:36.448 --> 00:01:42.713 We thank the President for the fact that our previous gas supply 16 00:01:42.713 --> 00:01:48.207 agreements were modified and gas supplies were therefore 17 00:01:48.207 --> 00:01:51.195 guaranteed for us through 2021. 18 00:01:51.195 --> 00:01:57.052 Today we took the decision to ask our officials to begin 19 00:01:57.052 --> 00:02:01.264 negotiations on gas supplies beyond 2021. 20 00:02:01.264 --> 00:02:06.477 We also addressed nuclear energy cooperation. 21 00:02:06.477 --> 00:02:12.484 We agreed that we have already eliminated the majority of obstacles. 22 00:02:12.484 --> 00:02:18.403 One issue remains open and we are waiting for an EU decision on it. 23 00:02:18.403 --> 00:02:24.499 We are convinced that our agreements are fully in compliance with EU 24 00:02:24.499 --> 00:02:32.110 requirements and we very much hope that this year we will be able 25 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:38.590 to begin preparations and go ahead with construction in 2018. 26 00:02:38.590 --> 00:02:45.599 The results of our economic cooperation are especially valuable since 27 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:51.006 we achieved these results in a particularly difficult 28 00:02:51.006 --> 00:02:53.409 international situation. 29 00:02:53.409 --> 00:02:58.370 As you can see, anti-Russia rhetoric has become trendy 30 00:02:58.370 --> 00:03:01.798 on the continent, in its western part. 31 00:03:01.798 --> 00:03:07.693 And under these conditions we had to uphold our economic contacts 32 00:03:07.693 --> 00:03:10.641 and preserve everything we could. 33 00:03:10.641 --> 00:03:16.542 It makes me sad to say that despite all our efforts, unfortunately, 34 00:03:16.542 --> 00:03:21.608 we have lost a lot in trade between our countries: 35 00:03:21.608 --> 00:03:27.778 $6.5 billion is the damage that was caused to our economies. 36 00:03:27.778 --> 00:03:33.747 Hungary continues to maintain that non-economic problems cannot be 37 00:03:33.747 --> 00:03:38.285 resolved by economic means. 38 00:03:38.285 --> 00:03:44.892 Other conflicts should not be moved to the economic area 39 00:03:44.892 --> 00:03:48.601 because this will hurt everyone. 40 00:03:48.601 --> 00:03:54.831 This is why we hope that in the near future we will be able to welcome 41 00:03:54.831 --> 00:04:00.421 new, good relations between Russia and the European Union. 42 00:04:00.421 --> 00:04:04.982 It is very difficult to live if we do not have open, 43 00:04:04.982 --> 00:04:12.503 productive and intensive forms of cooperation with the powers that be. 44 00:04:12.503 --> 00:04:19.996 Many of our expectations in cultural and humanitarian areas 45 00:04:19.996 --> 00:04:25.741 were also met. We agreed on student exchanges. 46 00:04:25.741 --> 00:04:31.864 Hungary also took the decision to finance the renovation 47 00:04:31.864 --> 00:04:34.657 of four Orthodox parishes. 48 00:04:34.657 --> 00:04:39.983 I am convinced that one of the most important results of our 49 00:04:39.983 --> 00:04:44.589 cooperation is that over the past two years, 50 00:04:44.589 --> 00:04:50.242 pursuant to the agreements with the Russian President, 51 00:04:50.242 --> 00:04:56.628 we have carried out investment projects in the food industry. 52 00:04:56.628 --> 00:05:01.354 This is very important for the Hungarian economy, 53 00:05:01.354 --> 00:05:08.008 and we would like to move on from agriculture and provide investment 54 00:05:08.008 --> 00:05:14.180 opportunities also to Hungarian companies in the water industry. 55 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:19.426 Hungary has world-class technology and this will be a major 56 00:05:19.426 --> 00:05:25.196 breakthrough also in terms of foreign trade between our countries. 57 00:05:25.196 --> 00:05:30.883 We know very well that open discussions are ongoing in the European 58 00:05:30.883 --> 00:05:37.001 Union on a wide range of foreign policy issues. We also discussed them. 59 00:05:37.001 --> 00:05:48.707 We sought to preserve and save everything from Russian-Hungary contacts 60 00:05:48.707 --> 00:05:58.625 that we could, and when the world returns to the sound logic 61 00:05:58.625 --> 00:06:07.567 of cooperation, the Hungarian economy will have a head 62 00:06:07.567 --> 00:06:13.908 start in developing the Russian market. 63 00:06:13.908 --> 00:06:18.166 This leads me to the conclusion that from the economic 64 00:06:18.166 --> 00:06:20.876 and economic-political perspective, 65 00:06:20.876 --> 00:06:25.754 our talks were successful, for which I thank you, Mr President. 66 00:06:32.034 --> 00:06:36.051 Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen, 67 00:06:36.051 --> 00:06:41.522 Let me start by thanking Prime Minister Orban and all of our Hungarian 68 00:06:41.522 --> 00:06:46.915 colleagues for the invitation and the chance to continue our practice 69 00:06:46.935 --> 00:06:50.663 of exchanging views at the highest level. 70 00:06:50.663 --> 00:06:56.068 We discussed practically the full range of bilateral relations, 71 00:06:56.068 --> 00:07:00.444 and of course, as the Prime Minister said just now, 72 00:07:00.444 --> 00:07:04.402 we focused particularly on supporting, developing, 73 00:07:04.402 --> 00:07:08.757 and finding new opportunities for economic cooperation. 74 00:07:08.757 --> 00:07:13.339 We value the Hungarian government’s desire to steadily develop mutually 75 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:15.873 advantageous cooperation with Russia. 76 00:07:15.873 --> 00:07:19.315 Hungary is, without doubt, one of Russia’s important 77 00:07:19.315 --> 00:07:21.393 and reliable partners in Europe. 78 00:07:21.393 --> 00:07:25.784 Our countries conduct a regular political dialogue, 79 00:07:25.784 --> 00:07:29.485 our foreign ministries have close contacts, 80 00:07:29.485 --> 00:07:35.024 and our Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Issues is working effectively. 81 00:07:35.024 --> 00:07:37.423 During today’s talks, as I said, 82 00:07:37.423 --> 00:07:41.847 we gave priority attention to economic cooperation matters. 83 00:07:41.847 --> 00:07:48.115 The objective figures show, regrettably, 84 00:07:48.115 --> 00:07:58.301 that bilateral trade has nearly halved over the last three years. 85 00:07:58.301 --> 00:08:02.169 The investment sector reflects this same negative trend. 86 00:08:02.169 --> 00:08:06.901 Last year, mutual investment fell nearly by half. 87 00:08:06.901 --> 00:08:10.352 No one can be happy with this situation, of course. 88 00:08:10.352 --> 00:08:15.042 In this context, we discussed and outlined concrete measures 89 00:08:15.042 --> 00:08:18.168 to activate our reciprocal trade and investment. 90 00:08:18.168 --> 00:08:24.299 The Prime Minister spoke just now about one of the possibilities 91 00:08:24.299 --> 00:08:29.393 in this area – to expand mutual investment and put it 92 00:08:29.393 --> 00:08:32.694 to use for both economies’ benefit. 93 00:08:32.694 --> 00:08:38.918 In particular, we agreed to develop our energy sector cooperation. 94 00:08:38.918 --> 00:08:44.179 We place great importance on the construction, carried out by Rosatom, 95 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:48.100 of two new power units at the Paks nuclear power station, 96 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:51.200 a project that is worth 12 billion euros. 97 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:55.653 This nuclear power station has been operating for a long time 98 00:08:55.653 --> 00:09:01.406 in Hungary and today produces close to 40 percent of all electricity 99 00:09:01.406 --> 00:09:03.490 produced in that country. 100 00:09:03.490 --> 00:09:09.016 The launch of the two new units will make it possible to double 101 00:09:09.016 --> 00:09:12.540 electricity production and satisfy the demand for electricity that is 102 00:09:12.540 --> 00:09:15.913 essential in order to develop new production facilities in Hungary. 103 00:09:15.913 --> 00:09:20.446 The project will also create new jobs, around 10,000 jobs. 104 00:09:20.446 --> 00:09:24.509 There are good prospects for developing cooperation 105 00:09:24.509 --> 00:09:26.541 in the oil and gas sector. 106 00:09:26.541 --> 00:09:34.447 Russia supplies a substantial share of the hydrocarbons used in Hungary. 107 00:09:34.447 --> 00:09:39.200 Furthermore, Hungary is a reliable link in the transit 108 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:43.600 chain for Russian energy supplies destined for Western Europe. 109 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:48.058 Hungary is taking part with good results in developing 110 00:09:48.058 --> 00:09:50.571 hydrocarbon reserves in Russia. 111 00:09:50.571 --> 00:10:01.203 Hungarian energy company MOL is developing oil fields in Western Siberia and plans to increase production. 112 00:10:01.203 --> 00:10:05.411 MOL’s subsidiary is already producing 113 00:10:05.411 --> 00:10:08.919 590,000 tonnes of oil a year in Russia. 114 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:13.893 During the talks, we agreed to work more intensively on bolstering 115 00:10:13.893 --> 00:10:17.382 industrial cooperation, including in high-tech 116 00:10:17.382 --> 00:10:19.609 and science-intensive sectors. 117 00:10:19.609 --> 00:10:24.648 Let me note that production of passenger buses using Russian composite 118 00:10:24.648 --> 00:10:26.848 materials has begun in Hungary. 119 00:10:26.848 --> 00:10:30.838 Russian technology is also being used to modernise 120 00:10:30.838 --> 00:10:33.576 the Budapest metro’s rolling stock. 121 00:10:33.576 --> 00:10:37.650 We have plans for joint production and supply of railway 122 00:10:37.650 --> 00:10:40.009 cars to other countries’ markets. 123 00:10:40.009 --> 00:10:44.395 Hungarian companies are active in the Russian 124 00:10:44.395 --> 00:10:48.303 pharmaceuticals industry and agriculture. 125 00:10:48.303 --> 00:10:54.709 We have established close partnership ties between all 19 Hungarian 126 00:10:54.709 --> 00:10:58.948 regions and more than 50 of Russia’s regions. 127 00:10:58.948 --> 00:11:03.831 We will continue to give our full support to the regions’ desire 128 00:11:03.831 --> 00:11:07.437 for direct cooperation, and, as you know, today, 129 00:11:07.437 --> 00:11:11.869 we will approve the comprehensive programme for developing 130 00:11:11.869 --> 00:11:14.499 regional cooperation for 2017–2022. 131 00:11:14.499 --> 00:11:18.372 Our bilateral cultural and humanitarian ties are developing 132 00:11:18.372 --> 00:11:22.052 successfully, and we are expanding our ties in education. 133 00:11:22.052 --> 00:11:25.358 It is pleasing to see the renewed interest for studying 134 00:11:25.358 --> 00:11:27.696 the Russian language in Hungary. 135 00:11:27.696 --> 00:11:32.544 Of course, we are very grateful to Mr Orban and to all of our Hungarian 136 00:11:32.544 --> 00:11:37.486 friends for the support they give to teaching Russian and to developing 137 00:11:37.486 --> 00:11:42.219 humanitarian ties, including the restoration and repair of religious 138 00:11:42.219 --> 00:11:47.828 buildings and institutions, which is being carried out 139 00:11:47.828 --> 00:11:52.010 at the Hungarian government’s initiative. 140 00:11:52.010 --> 00:11:57.332 During the talks, we also discussed in detail current issues 141 00:11:57.332 --> 00:12:00.557 on the European and global agendas. 142 00:12:00.577 --> 00:12:05.873 I briefed our colleagues in detail on our view regarding events 143 00:12:05.873 --> 00:12:10.252 in eastern Ukraine, and in the Middle East, 144 00:12:10.252 --> 00:12:14.834 including in Syria. On this matter, at least, 145 00:12:14.834 --> 00:12:19.519 we definitely share a common position, namely, 146 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:25.527 that we must join forces to combat international terrorism. 147 00:12:25.527 --> 00:12:30.333 Political settlement in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, 148 00:12:30.333 --> 00:12:35.213 and the entire region’s return to normal life as soon as possible, 149 00:12:35.213 --> 00:12:39.501 would certainly help to ease the serious migration crisis 150 00:12:39.501 --> 00:12:41.473 in Europe in general. 151 00:12:41.473 --> 00:12:48.027 I hope very much for active cooperation with our Hungarian 152 00:12:48.027 --> 00:12:51.471 partners in all of these areas. 153 00:12:51.471 --> 00:12:55.930 In conclusion, I want to thank our Hungarian partners and Prime 154 00:12:55.930 --> 00:12:59.971 Minister Orban for the warm reception and the substantive 155 00:12:59.971 --> 00:13:01.434 and productive talks. 156 00:13:01.434 --> 00:13:07.275 We have further talks ahead and we will now continue these discussions 157 00:13:07.275 --> 00:13:09.578 together with our ministers. 158 00:13:09.578 --> 00:13:13.801 That said, the initial work in narrow format already shows that we have 159 00:13:13.801 --> 00:13:17.321 a common desire to achieve concrete results. 160 00:13:17.321 --> 00:13:18.521 Thank you for your attention. 161 00:13:24.101 --> 00:13:27.680 A question for Mr Viktor Orban. 162 00:13:27.680 --> 00:13:32.705 How do you view the international space for future cooperation between 163 00:13:32.705 --> 00:13:35.749 Russia and Hungary? Do you see any changes? 164 00:13:36.729 --> 00:13:39.866 Of course, along with national pride, 165 00:13:39.866 --> 00:13:45.971 we need to realise that Russia and Hungary move in different dimensions 166 00:13:45.971 --> 00:13:50.235 concerning military, geopolitical, 167 00:13:50.235 --> 00:13:53.495 and foreign policy issues. 168 00:13:53.495 --> 00:13:58.752 But I think it is best when you know your place and you take on a role 169 00:13:58.752 --> 00:14:05.076 and set goals that correspond to your country’s weight, 170 00:14:05.076 --> 00:14:12.434 size and influence. President Putin briefed us on the situation 171 00:14:12.434 --> 00:14:24.655 in Syria. We can join in only those peacekeeping missions that will 172 00:14:24.655 --> 00:14:30.406 protect the Christian community, 173 00:14:30.406 --> 00:14:36.286 because we consider it very important to protect Christian 174 00:14:36.286 --> 00:14:39.177 communities around the world. 175 00:14:39.177 --> 00:14:43.119 In other words, Hungary can take part in helping to settle 176 00:14:43.119 --> 00:14:47.384 international issues even in places where it does not play a major part. 177 00:14:47.384 --> 00:14:51.410 We are very grateful to Mr Putin for the information we received. 178 00:14:51.410 --> 00:14:57.477 As for the international stage, we can all feel the atmosphere today, 179 00:14:57.477 --> 00:15:02.929 and we see that serious changes are taking place in the world. 180 00:15:02.929 --> 00:15:08.430 We think that the changes underway today will create more favourable 181 00:15:08.430 --> 00:15:12.656 conditions for cooperation between Europe and Russia, 182 00:15:12.656 --> 00:15:15.606 including between Hungary and Russia, 183 00:15:15.606 --> 00:15:18.237 which will be better than before. 184 00:15:18.237 --> 00:15:24.717 I am optimistic about the future and I believe that balanced contacts 185 00:15:24.717 --> 00:15:31.381 between Russia and the European Union are essential for peace in Europe. 186 00:15:38.621 --> 00:15:45.433 The media said before the talks that the discussion will 187 00:15:45.433 --> 00:15:51.367 focus on energy issues. 188 00:15:52.387 --> 00:15:59.819 Did you discuss whether the Nord Stream will be linked to Hungary 189 00:15:59.819 --> 00:16:07.138 in any way, and whether there will be new talks on the Paks loan? 190 00:16:11.038 --> 00:16:13.368 Regarding the final question, no, 191 00:16:13.368 --> 00:16:15.063 we did not discuss this. 192 00:16:15.063 --> 00:16:20.514 Of course, Hungary’s financial situation in the international economic 193 00:16:20.514 --> 00:16:23.048 environment has improved of late, 194 00:16:23.048 --> 00:16:26.196 and we have a good agreement with Russia. 195 00:16:26.196 --> 00:16:33.261 We do not want to risk it, and we seek to have it go ahead. 196 00:16:33.261 --> 00:16:38.111 We are waiting for the construction work to finally begin, because – 197 00:16:38.111 --> 00:16:43.246 what kind of nuclear power station is it that everyone is talking about 198 00:16:43.246 --> 00:16:47.667 but no one has seen? They haven’t even dug the first hole yet. 199 00:16:47.667 --> 00:16:50.170 We are waiting for work to start. 200 00:16:50.170 --> 00:16:55.210 A review of the agreement is not currently on the agenda. 201 00:16:55.210 --> 00:17:02.211 We want to go ahead with what I and President Putin signed earlier. 202 00:17:02.211 --> 00:17:06.599 With regard to gas supplies, we cannot ignore the issue of stability 203 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:12.113 of gas supplies across Ukraine. This is the key issue. 204 00:17:12.113 --> 00:17:18.090 We are aware of a great deal of issues that cause uncertainty, 205 00:17:18.090 --> 00:17:24.182 so we have always stood for diversifying our supply lines. 206 00:17:24.182 --> 00:17:28.906 The European Union has blocked something that would have 207 00:17:28.906 --> 00:17:31.698 served the interests of Hungary. 208 00:17:31.698 --> 00:17:36.153 That is, we are in the midst of a kind of stagnation, 209 00:17:36.153 --> 00:17:43.679 but we are interested in bringing that issue back on the agenda. 210 00:17:43.679 --> 00:17:48.373 We have the necessary capabilities in the north as well, 211 00:17:48.373 --> 00:17:52.371 which we aren’t using yet, but if need be, 212 00:17:52.371 --> 00:17:57.320 and national economic interests require us to do so, 213 00:17:57.320 --> 00:18:02.094 we will buy gas from Russia via the northern route. 214 00:18:03.594 --> 00:18:06.067 I will add a couple of words to that. 215 00:18:06.067 --> 00:18:10.250 We discussed the South Stream, a project, which, 216 00:18:10.250 --> 00:18:16.175 unfortunately, no longer exists. We covered the Nord Stream as well. 217 00:18:16.175 --> 00:18:19.724 Regarding Nord Stream-2, there is, indeed, 218 00:18:19.724 --> 00:18:24.792 the technical capability for Hungary to receive Russian gas 219 00:18:24.792 --> 00:18:29.946 via Nord Stream-2. This can be done via Slovakia or Austria – 220 00:18:29.946 --> 00:18:32.733 this is quite a feasible project. 221 00:18:32.733 --> 00:18:40.598 Russian gas can also be moved via the Turkish Stream. 222 00:18:40.598 --> 00:18:43.374 There are other options as well. 223 00:18:43.374 --> 00:18:48.200 By the way, we do not have any political goals when it comes to gas 224 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:50.634 transit through Ukraine. 225 00:18:50.674 --> 00:18:53.852 If it is economically viable and safe, 226 00:18:53.852 --> 00:18:57.684 we do not rule out the possibility of moving some gas 227 00:18:57.684 --> 00:18:59.387 through Ukraine as well. 228 00:18:59.387 --> 00:19:02.958 The issue is about diversification and the economic 229 00:19:02.958 --> 00:19:06.797 viability of these routes. We are exploring all possibilities. 230 00:19:06.797 --> 00:19:11.865 One thing is certain: Russian gas supplies to the Hungarian market will 231 00:19:11.865 --> 00:19:15.033 be reliable, that is a 100-percent guarantee. 232 00:19:15.033 --> 00:19:20.946 Regarding other projects, for example, Paks nuclear power station, 233 00:19:20.946 --> 00:19:27.220 I mentioned that this project costs 12 billion, 234 00:19:27.220 --> 00:19:31.439 80 percent of which was supposed to come from a Russian loan. 235 00:19:31.439 --> 00:19:37.069 I apprised the Prime Minister of other options. 236 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:40.347 We are prepared to finance 100 percent of it, 237 00:19:40.347 --> 00:19:44.572 but then the terms and conditions of the agreement should 238 00:19:44.572 --> 00:19:47.923 be slightly different. We can do this as well. 239 00:19:47.923 --> 00:19:51.364 Please note also that, as I mentioned earlier, 240 00:19:51.364 --> 00:19:56.150 it is also about creating 10,000 new well-paying high-tech jobs. 241 00:19:56.150 --> 00:20:00.490 This will, of course, improve reliability and grow 242 00:20:00.490 --> 00:20:03.297 the Hungarian economy in general. 243 00:20:14.097 --> 00:20:16.213 I have a question about Ukraine. 244 00:20:16.213 --> 00:20:20.443 Mr President, your position on the conflict in Donbass is known. 245 00:20:20.443 --> 00:20:24.969 I would like you to clarify the following: why did this 246 00:20:24.969 --> 00:20:28.283 flare-up occur at this particular moment? 247 00:20:28.283 --> 00:20:32.728 Since we are in Hungary, I would like to ask Mr Orban the following question: 248 00:20:32.728 --> 00:20:36.585 What do you think about the situation in Ukraine, 249 00:20:36.605 --> 00:20:38.889 especially since there is a Hungarian minority residing 250 00:20:38.889 --> 00:20:41.051 in Transcarpathia? Can you influence Kiev in any way, 251 00:20:41.051 --> 00:20:43.825 so that there is no discrimination against the Hungarian population? 252 00:20:44.425 --> 00:20:47.188 With regard to the current flare-up, 253 00:20:47.188 --> 00:20:49.902 we stated that it is already happening. 254 00:20:49.902 --> 00:20:55.822 Our position is, in fact, known: it was provoked by the Ukrainian side. 255 00:20:55.822 --> 00:21:00.633 Actual fighting began last Friday. 256 00:21:00.633 --> 00:21:05.215 On Sunday, the so-called Ukrainian voluntary units captured 257 00:21:05.215 --> 00:21:10.178 an opposition stronghold and moved 200 metres into the territory 258 00:21:10.178 --> 00:21:16.007 controlled by the militias. On Sunday, they were driven out of there. 259 00:21:16.007 --> 00:21:22.327 Why is this happening now? I believe there are several reasons for that. 260 00:21:22.327 --> 00:21:27.743 First, the Ukrainian leadership needs money, 261 00:21:27.743 --> 00:21:32.870 and the best way to drum up some money is to go to the European Union, 262 00:21:32.870 --> 00:21:36.532 individual countries of Europe, the United States, 263 00:21:36.532 --> 00:21:39.462 or international financial institutions, 264 00:21:39.462 --> 00:21:43.637 posing as a victim of aggression. This is my first point. 265 00:21:43.637 --> 00:21:48.434 Second, as we all know, during the presidential campaign in the United States, 266 00:21:48.434 --> 00:21:52.795 the Ukrainian government adopted a unilateral 267 00:21:52.795 --> 00:21:55.702 position in favour of one candidate. 268 00:21:55.702 --> 00:21:58.680 More than that, certain oligarchs, 269 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:03.584 certainly with the approval of the political leadership, 270 00:22:03.584 --> 00:22:07.349 funded this candidate, or female candidate, 271 00:22:07.349 --> 00:22:11.640 to be more precise. Now they need to improve relations with the current 272 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:15.514 administration, and using a conflict to do so is always a better, 273 00:22:15.514 --> 00:22:19.114 easier way to draw the incumbent administration into addressing 274 00:22:19.114 --> 00:22:21.917 Ukrainian problems and thus establish a dialogue. 275 00:22:21.917 --> 00:22:24.693 The third reason is related to domestic politics. 276 00:22:24.693 --> 00:22:29.014 In the wake of the utter failure of economic and social policies, 277 00:22:29.014 --> 00:22:32.604 the internal opposition has stepped up its activities 278 00:22:32.604 --> 00:22:34.200 and needs to be shut up. 279 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:37.872 It is also necessary to rally the people around the current leaders. 280 00:22:37.872 --> 00:22:44.782 This issue can also be resolved more easily if the conflict resumes. 281 00:22:44.782 --> 00:22:47.650 There is another consideration. 282 00:22:47.650 --> 00:22:53.050 I think that the current Ukrainian government is not at all willing 283 00:22:53.050 --> 00:22:57.338 to implement the Minsk agreements and is just looking 284 00:22:57.338 --> 00:22:59.483 for an excuse not to do so. 285 00:22:59.483 --> 00:23:04.462 The resumption of the conflict would serve that purpose. 286 00:23:04.462 --> 00:23:08.669 I very much hope that sensible people in Ukraine, 287 00:23:08.669 --> 00:23:14.680 as well as those who are interested in addressing such issues through 288 00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:20.690 political means, will not allow the situation in southeastern Ukraine 289 00:23:20.690 --> 00:23:23.609 to follow the worst-case scenario, 290 00:23:23.609 --> 00:23:27.165 but will instead concentrate all their attention and efforts 291 00:23:27.165 --> 00:23:29.438 on complying with the Minsk agreements. 292 00:23:31.498 --> 00:23:35.293 The Ukrainian Prime Minister recently visited Hungary. 293 00:23:35.293 --> 00:23:40.685 We had productive talks and signed several agreements. 294 00:23:40.685 --> 00:23:45.939 Ukraine was a topic of our talks today, 295 00:23:45.939 --> 00:23:49.981 as it is our common neighbour. 296 00:23:49.981 --> 00:23:56.471 Hungary is interested in having the Minsk agreements 297 00:23:56.471 --> 00:23:59.656 fulfilled unconditionally. 298 00:23:59.656 --> 00:24:04.585 We do not see any other solution, and Hungary, with its modest means, 299 00:24:04.585 --> 00:24:07.742 is doing everything possible to encourage compliance with 300 00:24:07.742 --> 00:24:09.321 the Minsk agreements. 301 00:24:09.321 --> 00:24:14.110 I want to say it loud and clear that Hungary is interested in Ukraine 302 00:24:14.110 --> 00:24:16.915 becoming a stable and successful country. 303 00:24:16.915 --> 00:24:22.205 We will do our best as part of Hungary-Ukraine cooperation 304 00:24:22.205 --> 00:24:25.885 to create a stable Ukraine. 305 00:24:25.885 --> 00:24:30.205 However, peace is the starting point and peace is only possible 306 00:24:30.205 --> 00:24:32.702 on the basis of the Minsk agreements. 307 00:24:32.702 --> 00:24:38.020 It is in our interest to see the Minsk agreements implemented, 308 00:24:38.020 --> 00:24:43.509 because this will not only stabilise the situation in these two 309 00:24:43.509 --> 00:24:47.283 regions, but also take care of other issues, 310 00:24:47.283 --> 00:24:52.171 such as providing democratic rights to ethnic minorities, 311 00:24:52.171 --> 00:24:58.347 as the current discussions about the language of instruction in Ukraine 312 00:24:58.347 --> 00:25:02.721 are far from beneficial for the Hungarian minority. 313 00:25:02.721 --> 00:25:08.043 Hungary is interested in an economically stable and prosperous Ukraine, 314 00:25:08.043 --> 00:25:10.966 and we will do our best in that regard. 315 00:25:23.146 --> 00:25:25.636 This question is for the Prime Minister. 316 00:25:25.636 --> 00:25:28.567 I would like to follow up on the critical issue of energy supplies. 317 00:25:28.567 --> 00:25:31.506 I would like to hear more specifics from you. 318 00:25:31.506 --> 00:25:33.384 This is really an important issue, 319 00:25:33.384 --> 00:25:35.373 and the numbers are very impressive. 320 00:25:35.373 --> 00:25:38.392 We are aware of the fact that Hungary receives 75 percent of its oil 321 00:25:38.392 --> 00:25:42.142 and 60 percent of its gas from Russia. 322 00:25:42.142 --> 00:25:47.850 However, we also remember that Hungary wasn’t too enthusiastic about 323 00:25:47.850 --> 00:25:51.821 expanding Nord Stream, but was quite interested 324 00:25:51.821 --> 00:25:54.220 in implementing South Stream. 325 00:25:54.220 --> 00:25:56.949 As we now know, there is no South Stream, 326 00:25:56.949 --> 00:25:59.079 but there is Turkish Stream now. 327 00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:07.002 I would like to know your plans regarding interaction in this sphere. 328 00:26:16.562 --> 00:26:20.861 The President of Russia said an important thing, 329 00:26:20.861 --> 00:26:23.779 and I want to say it again. 330 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:30.569 It is important for us to get Russian oil and gas to Hungary. 331 00:26:30.569 --> 00:26:33.922 This is what we agreed upon between ourselves, 332 00:26:33.922 --> 00:26:36.692 and the President guaranteed it to us. 333 00:26:36.692 --> 00:26:42.194 Compared with that, all other issues are technical matters. 334 00:26:42.194 --> 00:26:48.322 Most importantly, we have reached an agreement. 335 00:26:48.322 --> 00:26:52.645 The Russian President gave his word to the effect that Hungary, 336 00:26:52.645 --> 00:26:57.517 no matter what, will receive the necessary amount of oil and gas which 337 00:26:57.517 --> 00:27:00.313 our country needs to function properly. 338 00:27:00.313 --> 00:27:04.402 South Stream would serve our interests well, 339 00:27:04.402 --> 00:27:07.097 but it is beyond our control. 340 00:27:07.097 --> 00:27:10.074 We are interested in Turkish Stream. 341 00:27:10.074 --> 00:27:12.401 We will be pleased to participate in it. 342 00:27:12.401 --> 00:27:15.424 If there is such an opportunity we will take advantage of it. 343 00:27:15.424 --> 00:27:20.418 And natural gas supplies from the north are also in our interest if we 344 00:27:20.418 --> 00:27:25.702 do not get gas from other sources. 345 00:27:25.702 --> 00:27:31.373 I should tell you that Hungary is not in a very friendly environment. 346 00:27:31.373 --> 00:27:34.273 We have neighbours in the European Union. 347 00:27:34.273 --> 00:27:37.090 We are members of the European Union. 348 00:27:37.090 --> 00:27:42.446 Hungary has built its capacities in the direction of both Croatia 349 00:27:42.446 --> 00:27:47.650 and Romania, from where we could receive alternative supplies, 350 00:27:47.650 --> 00:27:53.412 but neither Croatia nor Romania – nor the European Union, if you will – 351 00:27:53.412 --> 00:27:58.688 has for its part built these capacities so that we could provide 352 00:27:58.688 --> 00:28:03.476 reverse flow supplies and also receive supplies from there. 353 00:28:03.476 --> 00:28:07.852 In other words, Hungary is blocked from the south. 354 00:28:07.852 --> 00:28:12.622 This is why a key issue from Hungary’s perspective is that 355 00:28:12.622 --> 00:28:18.201 the President of Russia says that Hungary will receive the necessary 356 00:28:18.201 --> 00:28:20.950 gas and oil in one way or another, 357 00:28:20.950 --> 00:28:27.133 even if in a roundabout way. This is a very important statement for us. 358 00:28:27.133 --> 00:28:31.075 We gratefully thank the President for this. 359 00:28:31.075 --> 00:28:33.814 Diversification is a good thing, 360 00:28:33.814 --> 00:28:38.819 but if we are the only party that does it while other countries do not, 361 00:28:38.819 --> 00:28:41.075 then unilateral contacts remain. 362 00:28:41.075 --> 00:28:46.265 To reiterate, the arrangement with the President and the agreement that 363 00:28:46.265 --> 00:28:49.233 we have signed is of key importance to Hungary. 364 00:28:49.753 --> 00:28:52.097 I can only add to what has been said. 365 00:28:52.097 --> 00:28:56.713 Indeed, we are doing all we can to ensure supplies to Hungary. 366 00:28:56.713 --> 00:29:01.732 Hungary is a reliable, solvent and stable partner. 367 00:29:01.732 --> 00:29:07.156 We are interested in supplying our raw materials to the Hungarian 368 00:29:07.156 --> 00:29:10.824 market and we will search for any ways to carry out these 369 00:29:10.824 --> 00:29:13.435 plans. We will definitely find them. 370 00:29:13.435 --> 00:29:16.012 I would like to set the record straight. 371 00:29:16.012 --> 00:29:18.911 We absolutely do not politicise these issues. 372 00:29:18.911 --> 00:29:22.066 It is a purely economic matter, above all, 373 00:29:22.066 --> 00:29:26.947 a matter of economic expediency. No routes can be ruled out here. 374 00:29:26.947 --> 00:29:30.286 We are ready to revisit anything. 375 00:29:30.286 --> 00:29:34.729 We are not going to take offence at Bulgaria or other countries 376 00:29:34.729 --> 00:29:38.242 for failing in their time to summon enough courage to stand up 377 00:29:38.242 --> 00:29:41.052 to European Commission’s decisions. 378 00:29:41.052 --> 00:29:43.440 If they are ready to revisit that, 379 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:46.719 we are also ready for it, but we need guarantees. 380 00:29:46.719 --> 00:29:49.408 We are no longer able or willing to sustain losses. 381 00:29:49.408 --> 00:29:52.992 Our companies cannot and will not sustain losses 382 00:29:52.992 --> 00:29:55.113 for ill-considered decisions. 383 00:29:55.113 --> 00:29:58.374 If we move together down this path, 384 00:29:58.374 --> 00:30:01.043 including in dialogue with Brussels, 385 00:30:01.043 --> 00:30:04.842 then everyone will surely be happy, 386 00:30:04.842 --> 00:30:08.697 and this will benefit the development of both bilateral relations 387 00:30:08.697 --> 00:30:11.621 and the energy security of the continent as a whole. 388 00:30:11.621 --> 00:30:13.480 Thank you.