Cypriot Gas Fields Could Be a Solution to the Energy Crisis

The solution to the energy crisis in Europe should be to attract new resources and build new transport routes instead of sanctions and barriers, and therefore support should be given to the early exploitation of natural gas fields discovered off the Cypriot coast, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Nicosia on Monday, according to a statement made by the ministry.

At a joint press conference with his Cypriot counterpart, Joannis Kasulides, the Hungarian minister said that Europe is facing major challenges today, and the “failed” punitive measures taken in response to the war in Ukraine make the situation even more difficult. He said that one of the most serious problems is the energy crisis, which is exacerbated by any measure that reduces the amount of gas available on the continent’s market.

Instead of sanctions and price caps, we need to attract new resources and build new transport routes, and Cyprus could be a major opportunity for Europe in this respect,”

Szijjártó said. He added that it was therefore important for the European community to find ways to facilitate the start of extraction and the construction of a gas pipeline from the island country as soon as possible.

Szijjártó stressed that the negative effects of the armed conflict are being felt very severely and directly in Hungary, which is a neighbor of Ukraine. He referred to inflation and high energy prices, and stressed that Hungary wants peace as soon as possible, which is why it has long stressed the importance of a ceasefire and peace talks.

The longer the war goes on, the more Europe will suffer, the more it will lose (…) Sometimes I have the feeling that only a few of us are sober on the issue,”

he said, citing the Cypriot leadership as an example. Finally, the minister praised bilateral relations and reported a 70 percent increase in the number of Hungarian tourists in Cyprus compared to the year before the outbreak of the coronavirus.

He added that with three thousand Hungarians now living on the island, the government had decided to strengthen its diplomatic presence. He also said that the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in higher education and research is expected to increase the number of Cypriot students studying in Hungary.

Featured photo via MTI/Balázs Attila