Following talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Minister Szijjártó noted that this was Secretary Rubio’s first visit to Hungary since President Trump returned to office last year. According to the Minister, the visit clearly demonstrates the strength of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which is rooted in the close personal ties between the Hungarian Prime Minister and the US President.
“The US Secretary of State made it clear that the current American administration and the President are committed to maintaining strategic cooperation between Hungary and the United States,” Minister Szijjártó said.
The Minister added that, in his view, the visit also provided clear evidence that President Trump’s friendship with Prime Minister Orbán played a decisive role in allowing Hungary to continue purchasing affordable Russian crude oil and natural gas, thereby safeguarding the country’s utility price reduction scheme.
“It has become clear to everyone that if the Hungarian Prime Minister and the American President were not friends, Hungarian families would now be paying three times as much for utilities, and fuel prices would have risen to around 1,000 forints per liter,” Minister Szijjártó stated.
He also said that Secretary Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to sustaining cooperation and emphasized that Hungary can count on the US in all areas. The two sides will continue discussions on developing new forms of financial cooperation, the Minister added.
Minister Szijjártó further announced that the two countries signed an important agreement on nuclear energy cooperation. Expanding Hungary’s nuclear capacity is a vital national interest, he said, as it is the only way to ensure secure, environmentally sustainable, affordable, and stable electricity supply amid growing demand.
“We have now entered into an alliance with the Americans in the field of nuclear energy,” the Minister said, noting that new and previously unknown technologies are being developed in the United States, and the agreement will allow Hungary to benefit from these advancements as quickly as possible.
Summing up the visit, Minister Szijjártó said the day made it clear that Hungarian-US relations are based on a personal, strategic partnership, which the United States is ready to maintain and which is unequivocally in Hungary’s national interest.