Russian president to pay Hungary working visit on Feb. 17: media
Xinhua, January 21, 2015 Adjust font size:
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to pay a "working visit" to Hungary on Feb. 17, just two weeks after one by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced over public radio Radio Kossuth on Wednesday.
The Putin visit, said Szijjarto, was in return for one Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban paid to Moscow last year. Orban is seen in many circles as one of Putin's closest European allies.
Szijjarto listed discussion topics with the Russian president as bilateral political and economic relations, energy issues, and Ukraine.
Hungary has a vested interest in Ukraine as a strong and stable neighbor, Szijjarto said.
He also noted that European Union sanctions against Russia and the Russian embargo in response had seriously hurt trade between Hungary and Russia, adding that Hungarian exports to Russia were down by over 13 percent. Endit