Hungary seeks to import gas from Azerbaijan and Georgia, the country’s Prime Minister said in an interview with Handelsblatt.“We want to import natural gas from Azerbaijan and there are other alternatives that interest us. For example, a factory in Georgia that makes liquefied natural gas,” Viktor Orban said.

Referring to energy, Orban said that until now the natural gas that supplied 85% of Hungarian households “came only from Russia.” But he promised that he will “free Hungary from this dependence.”

“Very soon we will be buying natural gas through Slovakia. That pipeline will be ready next year and we can already import gas from Romania,” Hungarian Spectrum quoted Orban as saying.

Ramil Safarov, Azerbaijani army officer who was serving a life sentence in Hungary for axing to death Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margaryan, was extradited to Azerbaijan and pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev.

Official Yerevan reacted by suspending diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Hungary, however, states that it had sent Safarov back to Azerbaijan after receiving assurances from the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry that Safarov's sentence, which included the possibility of parole after 25 years, would be enforced.

According to some reports, Safarov was extradited to Azerbaijan in exchange for Azeri purchase of Hungarian securities worth Euro 2-3 billion, an information official Budapest denies.

“Hungarian Prime Minister is “morally bankrupt” and should resign after admitting that he personally approved the transfer of the Azeri axe murderer while knowing the likely consequences,” the leader of the opposition Socialists said earlier.

Attila Mesterhazy said it was clear from Orban’s comments at a news conference on Tuesday September 11 that he had been aware that Azerbaijan would release the life-sentenced Ramil Safarov after his repatriation.