Hungary's FM Szijjártó travels to Moscow seeking guarantees on oil and gas supplies
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary's Foreign Minister (photo: Getty Images)
Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó arrived in Russia to make sure oil and gas will remain available for his country, Szijjártó reports.
Hungarian minister noted that wars in the world create extraordinary challenges for Hungary's national and energy security.
"War in Ukraine and crisis in the Middle East are two armed conflicts that cause concern at the same time. Hungary wants to stay away from any wars, and for us security of Hungary and the Hungarian people is always in first place," his statement says.
According to Szijjártó, Ukrainians allegedly block oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. He added that, on the other hand, Croatia is discussing Hungary's right to buy oil from the aggressor country by sea.
"As a result of the war in Iran, all global maritime supply of oil and gas has faced extraordinary challenges because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where one third of global oil trade takes place," the Hungarian minister noted.
Szijjártó hopes for a guarantee from Russia
Hungary's Foreign Minister said that he arrived in Moscow to make sure oil and gas will remain available for the country even during a crisis.
"And I am here to make sure and receive a guarantee that the amount of oil and natural gas necessary for the energy supply of our country will be delivered to Hungary, despite changing circumstances and global energy crisis, at the same price at which Russians supply to Hungary," he emphasized.
Pre-election concern for Hungarians
Szijjártó also resorted to pre-election rhetoric — in particular, he said that the size of utility payments of Hungarians will depend on Russian energy resources.
"If energy resources from Russia do not arrive in Hungary, then unfortunately, reduction of utility payments for households will also have to be forgotten," he explained.
Controversial statement by Szijjártó
On February 26, Szijjártó said that Ukraine allegedly demands money and a supply of weapons in exchange for the restoration of the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline. His words were made after the chargé d’affaires of Hungary in Ukraine was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Hungarian minister said that Ukrainians allegedly admitted that pipelines are closed for political reasons. According to him, Ukraine allegedly admitted that there are no physical or technical reasons not to restore supplies and that these are exclusively political reasons.
