Hungary ‘gravely threatened from Brussels, Kyiv’, FM Szijjártó says
Hungary is being “gravely threatened” from Brussels and Kyiv simultaneously, as the “Von der Leyen-Zelensky plan is a grave threat to our homeland’s energy security and may result in a steep increase in utility fees,” the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Athens on Wednesday.
Péter Szijjártó held talks with his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, and told the joint press conference after the meeting that stable, reliable and friendly ties like the ones between Hungary and Greece were especially valuable “in an era of dangers when Europe and [our] neighbourhood is ravaged by devastating wars”.
Noting that he was scheduled to attend a “large energy conference” after the meeting, Szijjarto said that “the von der Leyen-Zelensky plan” would bring about the risk of energy prices doubling in Hungary.
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Ban on Russian energy resources would end Hungary’s energy security
He said that banning cheap and accessible Russian energy resources “would put Hungary into severe dependence; it also harms our country’s sovereignty as setting up the national energy mix is an exclusive competency of member states.”
“The REPowerEU package would cut the oil pipelines leading to Hungary down to one, and would close down the largest-capacity route for natural gas into the country,” he warned.
Szijjarto said the initiative was “hypocritical”, noting that Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Slovakia had earlier turned to the European Commission for support to extend the capacity of the pipeline system in south-eastern Europe, but had been rejected.
“So we are forced to phase out certain energy resources, but new delivery routes and resources are not supported. That is partly why I would like to forcefully defend Greece’s pragmatic approach to energy issues, it is open to cooperation and doesn’t let energy policy to be overly politicised and ideologised,” he said.
Migration and border protection
Budapest and Athens “fully agree” on the importance of the duty to protect the external borders of the European Union. “We are also strongly protecting our borders. We do not allow illegal migrants into the country; currently, there are 16 Hungarian policemen serving in Greece, helping border protection,” he said.
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Szijjártó said Greek-Hungarian bilateral ties were a “success story”, with Hungarian exports hitting a record 800 million euros. Further, “we are very proud of the Greek community in Hungary, which we will continue to support so they can preserve their identity and cultural heritage,” he said. Szijjártó expressed his hope that “the current cooperation, based on mutual respect, will continue between the two governments and countries.”