Safeguarding Energy Supply through Continued Cooperation with Russia

Despite the new sanctions, Russia is committed to maintaining Hungary’s energy supply, the supply of oil, natural gas, and nuclear fuel, and if the intention is shared, there will certainly be a solution, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Moscow on Monday.

After talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who is in charge of energy, and the heads of several major energy companies, the minister pointed out that energy sources from Russia play a very important role in Hungary’s security of supply. “It is not a political issue, it is not a political choice, it is a physical reality, it is the infrastructure,” he noted.

In Hungary, we use large quantities of natural gas, oil, and nuclear fuel of Russian origin.

And this certainly contributes to the security of energy supply in Hungary,” the politician continued. “We have no intention of giving up this good cooperation. Not only because no one has ever made us a better offer. We are not aware of any energy sources that are more secure and more competitively priced,” he added.

In this context, Mr. Szijjártó emphasized that the United States had put, or at least was trying to put, the countries of Central and southeastern Europe that use Russian energy sources in a difficult situation by placing Gazprombank on the sanctions list, as payments are made through this financial institution.

The foreign minister pointed out that the situation had been reviewed during the day and that both Alexander Novak and the heads of the Russian energy companies concerned had confirmed their absolute interest in cooperation and in maintaining the continuity of supplies. “They are committed to finding a solution to this situation in any case,” he underlined.

“So our lawyers (…) are already working on a solution to deal with the situation created by the U.S. sanctions and to maintain Hungary’s energy supply and security of energy supply in the future,” he announced.

Péter Szijjártó stressed that the government is doing everything possible to ensure the security of Hungary’s energy supply, adding that

it is a regional effort because “other countries are also in similar shoes,” and cooperation with them is ongoing.

“So the bottom line is that Russia wants to maintain the supply of both oil and gas and nuclear fuel, and if there is a common will, we will certainly find a solution. The lawyers are working and we are supervising their work,” he concluded.

Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter