Motorists can see a price difference of more than 50 forints per liter at petrol stations.Continue reading
The new sanctions package of the outgoing US administration poses serious challenges to Central Europe, and the Hungarian government will therefore closely coordinate with its partners in the region to minimize the increase in fuel prices, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced.
In a statement, the minister wrote that the outgoing Democrat administration, which “suffered a heavy defeat” in last year’s US presidential election, had introduced new punitive measures in the energy sector, that again poses a serious challenge to Central Europe.
Péter Szijjártó pointed out
the inclusion on the list of a company that plays a key role in Serbia’s oil supply could reduce the amount of crude oil coming into the region, causing a drop in processing here and a much greater need for finished, refined fuel (petrol and diesel).
“If demand increases but processing capacity decreases, that unfortunately means we face a very serious risk of price hikes,” he warned.
“The sanctions that the outgoing US administration has now put in place in the energy sector could lead to a serious fuel price hike in Central Europe,” he added.
Minister Szijjártó noted that
the Hungarian government will therefore be in very close coordination with its partners in the region in order to minimize the negative impact of sanctions on prices and thus “protect the Hungarian and Central European people.”
“Because we know very well that fuel price increases not only have a negative impact on countries by making people’s lives more difficult, more expensive, but also have a negative impact on overall economic performance, and we want to avoid that,” he explained.
Finally, he welcomed the fact that there are only a few days left before “the United States will have a president who sees Hungary not as an enemy but as a friend.”
Reacting to the sanctions, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić called a press conference on Friday, where Politico reported him as saying that “these are the most severe sanctions ever affecting a company in Serbia.” Namely, the sanctions target Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), a company majority owned by Russia’s Gazprom and Gazprom Neft.
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay