The documents, signed by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, set out shared priorities across “current issues of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, joint activities in the energy sector, industry, health care, agriculture, construction, and other areas of mutual interest, as well as in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.”
Among the plans made were to expand joint working in the nuclear power industry, support more Russian language teachers and graduate students coming to Hungary, and begin new partnerships between sports teams and universities.
Hungary’s foreign policy trajectory has become a key issue in Sunday’s parliamentary election, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces the toughest test of his 16-year hold on power. The veteran populist leader — who has pursued closer ties with the Kremlin and held up EU sanctions on Russia — lags behind center-right challenger Péter Magyar in the polls.
Orbán has accused his arch-rival of siding with Brussels, threatening to drag the country into a war and undermining its access to Russian fossil fuels, while Magyar has said the current government should be investigated for possible treason over its ties to the Kremlin.