Archívum címkék: russia
New enemy is found by Péter Szijjártó, who referred to Bulgaria as a reliable partner back in January
The Bulgarian decision to impose taxes on the transit of Russian gas is a hostile move towards Hungary and Serbia
– this was the title of the joint communication issued by the foreign ministers of Hungary and Serbia on Tuesday. „This new Bulgarian measure jeopardizes the energy security of Hungary and Serbia. The European Union does not impose sanctions on gas shipments originating from Russia, so the Bulgarian Prime Minister’s argumentation in this regard is entirely incorrect. This decision is also contrary to European solidarity, as it endangers the energy security of an EU member state as well as of a candidate country. Hungary and Serbia are coordinating their response and will not leave this hostile Bulgarian decision unanswered,” emphasized the joint statement by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Sinisa Mali and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó.
According to Bulgarian portal Dnes.bg, Bulgaria introduced a special tax on Russian gas transmitted and delivered through its territory on October 13. The newspaper quoted Bulgarian Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev’s response to the Hungarian-Serbian statement. Vassilev emphasized:
Uncovering the activity of Moscow’s Professor Ageev and the newly established Hungarian branch of a Russian “scientific research institute“ that resembles the “spy bank” IIB
Alexander Ivanovich Ageev was quite active in Hungary for a time: one prominent meeting would follow another. His main partners included János Süli, the minister without portfolio responsible for the expansion of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, and lawyer István Szabó, who spearheaded the ‘reconquista’ of the Pécs Waterworks from a French investor. Moreover, he met with several prominent university figures. The Russian professor is the general director of IRIAS, a Moscow-based scientific research institute that established a Hungarian trade representation back in September 2022, following in the footsteps of the International Investment Bank, often referred to as the “Russian spy bank”.
The Hungarian representation of IRIAS is located in the capital’s downtown District V, not far from Hotel Marriott and the overall luxury of the Danube Corso. The office is registered in a first-floor flat within a larger apartment building, right above – coincidence? – a long-running Russian deli store. No matter how often Prof. Ageev would visit Hungary, not much information can be found regarding his negotiations, and neither he, nor his or the IRIAS’ known Hungarian partners have proven to be talkative. Preferring a first-hand narrative of the intentions behind the establishment of the trade representation, as well as of the range of their activities, plans and agreements with the Hungarian government, we tried reaching out to Prof. Ageev through e-mail – to no avail.
Neither have we received any replies from either the private person registered at the apartment serving as the office’s address, or from Debrecen-based Bernadett Deák, the managing director of IRIAS Hungary. On the other hand, we did manage to reach attorney Lajos Kálmán Hörcsik (nephew of FIDESZ MP Richárd Hörcsik), the appointed process agent of both Ageev and IRIAS Hungary. After checking with his clients at our request, Mr. Hörcsik unfortunately wasn’t able to provide any information due to his obligation of confidentiality. However, he suggested that we would continue our research with the Ministry of Justice’s official business register (Cégközlöny, or “Company Gazette”).