The foreign minister said the Hungarian government aims to import natural gas from Azerbaijan to Hungary.
During an official visit to Baku, Minister Szijjártó said gaining access to Azeri gas via southern Europe from the end of next year would bolster Hungary’s energy security. Hungarian and Azeri businesses have started talks on the gas supply, he said after a meeting of the Hungarian-Azeri economic mixed committee. Minister Szijjártó said his Baku visit also served to boost bilateral economic cooperation, which he said was supported by last year’s 28 percent growth in bilateral trade turnover. Hungarian oil and gas company MOL and drug maker Richter have also invested heavily in the country, he added. The Hungarian government is also supporting the participation of Hungarian companies in reconstruction efforts in the Karabakh region, including the upgrade of urban infrastructure, the construction of energy supply infrastructure and the restart of farming activities, he said. Hungary’s Eximbank is supporting the reconstruction with a 120 million US dollar credit line, he added. The co-heads of the committee also signed a MoU on cooperation in water management and food security and Hungarian language and culture teaching in Azerbaijan.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter