Hungarian FM Szijjártó: Energy security must be protected from unilateral actions at UN Assembly
Hungary’s foreign minister said in New York on Thursday that the international community had to make sure that no country takes unilateral steps putting the safe energy supply of another country at risk.
The foreign ministry cited Péter Szijjártó as saying at the UN General Assembly’s session focusing on sustainable energy that meeting the radically increasing global demand for electricity was one of the world’s important challenges today. He underlined that the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes guaranteed a “good platform” for East-West cooperation, noting the expansion of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant as an excellent example of cooperation among several countries.
Hungary rejects all initiatives which are aimed at negative discrimination against nuclear energy which lack any scientific approach, any kind of fact-based approach, he said, calling them “clearly and purely ideological attacks”. He noted that Hungary was investing in increasing nuclear capacity in a way to guarantee a safe supply of electricity, ensure low energy prices, protect the environment and make Hungary independent and protected against the volatility of international energy markets.
“Hungary rejects and considers it totally unacceptable if any country makes unilateral steps to interfere in the composition of the energy mix of another country…or puts the safe energy supply of another country at risk,” he said, adding that “all countries must refrain from such steps”. “The safe supply of energy is a matter of national security, and matter of national sovereignty as well,” said the minister. Unilateral steps by any country putting the safe energy supply of another country at risk should be considered as an attack on national sovereignty,” he added.
He called it highly important that the international community makes sure that no country makes unilateral steps putting the safe energy supplies of another country at risk.
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