Hungarian foreign minister hold talks with Croatian conterpart

Budapest (MTI) – Restoring the alliance between Hungary and Croatia is a fundamental interest of both countries, Hungary’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

If the two countries do not repair their alliance, they will miss out on many opportunities, Péter Szijjártó said after holding talks with Davor Ivo Stier, his Croatian counterpart, in Budapest.

Over the past few years, there were a number of factors that had a negative effect on bilateral relations, Szijjarto said, stressing that Hungary and Croatia should be natural allies. He said the fact that Stier’s first official international visit was to Budapest indicated that Croatia is also committed to opening “a new chapter” in its relations with Hungary. Szijjártó said that having both countries be led by governments made up of conservative parties that are members of the European People’s Party would make it easier for Hungary and Croatia to reach this goal.

The two ministers agreed that the mixed inter-governmental committee would meet in January.

Szijjártó said Hungary and Croatia must move quickly to enable reverse gas flows between the two countries as soon as possible. He added that Croatia’s government had made a commitment to build the LNG gas terminal on the Adriatic Sea which he said would open up new sources of natural gas for Hungary.

On the topic of the ongoing dispute between Hungarian oil and gas company MOL and its Croatian peer, INA, in which MOL has a stake, Szijjártó said the matter should be depoliticised, arguing that the influence of politics on the issue had hampered its resolution.

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MOL owns just under half of INA’s shares but exercises management rights in the company. The state of Croatia is the other big stakeholder. For years, the two sides have disputed INA’s strategy and are now in arbitration.

Szijjártó said the two countries must find a joint solution to the issue, which he said was primarily a shared responsibility of the Croatian government and MOL.

He underlined the importance of building a motorway connecting Sarajevo, Osijek (Eszek) and Budapest within the foreseeable future. He said the hydrocarbon resources along the Hungarian-Croatian border should be made equally accessible to both countries’ businesses.

The two ministers also discussed migration. Szijjarto said they agreed that the most important aspect of handling the migrant crisis is protecting the European Union’s external borders.

Stier, who is also Croatia’s minister for EU affairs, said the dispute between MOL and the state of Croatia had had a negative effect on bilateral ties, but added that the two countries would now work to deepen their relations, which he said could help resolve the dispute.

He revealed that Croatia’s minister for energy would also soon visit Budapest.

Source: MTI