Hungary and Russia will jointly build a factory in the Ural Chelyabinsk region, in southern Russia, to produce bird flu vaccine, the Hungarian News Agency MTI reported on Thursday.

Related discussions between Hungarian Health Minister Jeno Racz and Chelyabinsk Governor Petr Sumin took place during Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to Hungary earlier this week, MTI quoted Yuri Klepov, the Russian minister for the region's economic development, as saying.

The two sides agreed to delegate Hungarian experts to Chelyabinsk to discuss the factory's location and the time frame of the project, which is expected to cost around 30 million U.S. dollars, Klepov said.

The bird flu vaccine developed and tested on poultry and humans by Hungary, is highly effective in providing protection against the virus, Klepov said.

Russia first recorded bird flu in Siberia last July, and the virus has since been detected in other parts of the country, including Chelyabinsk.

Currently, trade volume between Hungary and Chelyabinsk stands at six 6 million dollars a year, said Klepov, who expected the figure to multiply in the coming months following the finalization of various cooperation agreements during Putin's visit.

Source: Xinhua