This time, Hungary did not object to the embargo on Russian oil, but rather to the inclusion of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Orthodox Church on an EU visa ban and asset-freeze list over his firm support of Vladimir Putin.Continue reading
The sixth package of the EU’s sanctions had “passed”, wrote Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on his Facebook page.
“We fought a long battle, but it was worth it. It was worth resisting the pressure, it was worth confronting the mainstream demanding the abandonment of our national interests, and it was worth enduring the false accusations of many European politicians and journalists”, he wrote.
“It was worth it because we were able to protect the security of our country’s energy supply by giving pipeline transport an exemption from sanctions. If we had not fought, Hungary’s oil supply would have become impossible and the economy would have ground to a halt”, added the Hungarian minister.
As to the contentious issue of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, against whose inclusion on the sanctions list Hungary had objected, Szijjártó wrote: „We finally managed to get Patriarch Kirill off the sanctions list.
For us, this was a matter of principle, because, like the national interest, we also insist on freedom of religion. It is hard to imagine the processes that would have been set in motion by placing the leader of one of the most important Christian churches in Europe on the sanctions list”, closed his Facebook minister Szijjártó.
Featured image via Péter Szijjártó’s Facebook page