Newly discovered natural gas reserves in Israel could help Hungary ease its dependence on Russian energy, Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó said in an interview for the Jerusalem Post. "Hungary is very dependent on Russian gas. We heat 80 percent of our houses with gas and import 90 percent of our gas from Russia. Being so dependent means that we're relatively vulnerable", State Secretary Szijjártó said, summing up his two-day visit to Israel last week. He said that Hungary could become a central European distribution centre for Israeli gas, he added.

Mr. Szijjarto held talks with Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid on strengthening bilateral ties in investment and innovation. The State Secretary also held talks with top executives from pharmaceutical firm TEVA, a major investor in Hungary and one of the Government's 35 strategic partner companies to date. The State Secretary presented TEVA's former CEO Jeremy Levin with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit, one of Hungary's highest civilian awards.

Mr. Szijjártó said that Hungary had taken an independent approach within the EuropeanUnion to a variety of issues, including the stepped-up use of nuclear energy, adding that while the EU pushed a platform of human rights and diversity, Hungary laid special emphasis on embracing its Christian heritage and on the traditional family model.

(Prime Minister’s Office)