During its working visit to Budapest, the delegation met with the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Laslo Kover, and Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen.
Budapest hosted a meeting between a Federation Council delegation led by First Deputy Speaker and head of the Group on Cooperation of the Federation Council with the Hungarian State Assembly Nikolai Fedorov and Speaker of the Hungarian State Assembly Laslo Kover. Mr Kover thanked the head of the Russian delegation for his efforts to promote bilateral ties, emphasising that relations with Russia are important to Hungary. In turn, Nikolai Fedorov conveyed warm wishes from the Speaker of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko. Mr Fedorov praised the cooperation between the two countries in various areas. He noted the need for an additional impetus that could produce new and promising projects of bilateral cooperation and raise it to a new level. The senator believes it is important to emphasise inter-regional contacts. The MPs said that to increase trade between Russia and Hungary to $10 billion, it is necessary to find new competitive sectors.
The participants
also discussed further bilateral cooperation in culture and science as well as measures
to preserve the memory of historical events and protect the rights of national minorities.
Mr Fedorov said that the training of qualified personnel and youth exchanges
are strategically important for Russia and Hungary.
He thanked Hungary for its contribution to the restoration and construction of Russian Orthodox churches in Hungary. “These are certainly important steps for strengthening good relations between our countries,” he said.
During the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, Mr Fedorov discussed promising areas of bilateral cooperation. Mr Fedorov praised
the positon of the country’s leaders who consistently uphold Hungary’s interests,
including in its relations with Russia. Mr Fedorov emphasized that the Federation Council, as a chamber of Russia’s regions, pays special attention to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Russian and Hungarian regions. The sides noted their common position on supporting
compatriots abroad and expressed interest in exchanging experience in this
area.
“Personal contacts between representatives of the two countries are especially
important for the dynamic development of cooperation,” Mr Fedorov emphasised.
He expressed the hope that productive bilateral cooperation would continue. His delegation visited one of the oldest Orthodox churches in Hungary that bears the name of Nicholas the Miracle Worker. It was built at the end of the 18th century and was transferred to the Budapest and Hungarian eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church by the Hungarian government, which allocated funding to restore it.