Hungary made the right decision to sign gas supply agreement with Moscow, says minister

Hungary’s energy supplies remain secure even though deliveries of Russian gas to the country are currently at 88 percent of the contracted volume due to technical problems with the European pipeline system, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday, adding that Russia would make up for the delivery shortfall.

The amount of gas deliveries to western Europe is down significantly in recent days because the equipment needed to operate the pipeline system which had required maintenance could not been returned on time due to the sanctions imposed on Russia, the foreign ministry cited Szijjártó as saying after a phone call with Alexander Novák, Russia’s deputy prime minister in charge of energy.

Szijjártó said Hungary was receiving 88 percent of the gas supplies it is supposed to get from Russia, accounting for roughly 10.6 million cubic metres instead of 12 million cubic metres per day. The minister added that Hungary’s energy security was not compromised.

Deliveries from the south are uninterrupted, with Hungary receiving a daily 9.4 cubic metres of gas via Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia. The technical problem has, however, caused deliveries to slow slightly from the direction of Austria, he added.

Read alsoRussian gas supplies will be cut off for a week in Hungary

Szijjártó said Novák had assured him that Russia’s Gazprom would make up for the delivery shortfall in line with its gas supply contract with Hungary. He said the Hungarian government had asked that Gazprom ensure the deliveries via the southern pipeline route, on which the sides will hold technical consultations.

The southern corridor gives Hungary a great deal of security as gas deliveries are uninterrupted via that route, Szijjártó said, adding that it had again been made clear that Hungary had made the right decision to sign a long-term gas supply agreement with Moscow last year.