FM Szijjártó in Russia: No one has the moral right to put pressure on us to cut our relationships
The government considers all measures that could jeopardise the security of Hungary’s energy supply “attacks on our national sovereignty”, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in St. Petersburg on Thursday.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the minister noted that Hungary was among the European states whose energy supply was hit the hardest by the consequences of the war in Ukraine. In the long term, this has also had the effect that “the issue of energy supply has become a hostage of political and ideological debates,” he added.
Szijjártó said that “regardless of all the pressure”, Hungary still refused to consider energy “a political or ideological issue”. “For us, energy supply is a practical question,” he said, adding that the government would not give up well-functioning partnerships, and “based on the physical reality and based on the infrastructure”, Hungary would not be able to import enough energy without Russian oil and gas.
Szijjártó in Russia:
The minister said Hungary had not received “any offer from anyone who would deliver the same volume of gas or oil according to the same schedule on the same level of reliability at the same price”.
“And as long as there’s no such offer, no one has the moral right to put pressure on us to cut our relationships and change to other sources,” he said.
Szijjártó pointed out that all projects that would have allowed such a switch-over have been cancelled or postponed, citing the cancellation of Western companies’ plans to start extracting natural gas from offshore fields in Romania. Meanwhile, Croatia, instead of expanding the capacity of its gas pipeline, has increased transit fees fivefold, he said.
He emphasised that the matter of the composition of the energy mix was a matter of national sovereignty, and the Hungarian government’s decisions on energy matters were determined solely by its aim to guarantee the country’s secure energy supply.
He noted that Hungary needs 8 million tonnes of crude a year, 90 percent of which is covered from imports, and 70-80 percent of this comes from Russia. For natural gas, Hungary’s annual demand is 8.5 billion cubic metres, 80 percent of which comes from imports, including 70-80 percent from Russia.
“And the stability of this delivery is a core national interest of ours,” Szijjártó said. “Therefore we reject all international proposals, actions and decisions which would limit or restrict or worsen the security and the stability of these deliveries.”
He said this was why the government did not support the European Union’s energy sanctions and rejected all customs duties on energy resources.
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13 Comments
The bla bla bla continues. All other EU countries have been now become independent of russian Gas, and they have been moving forward. Maybe Peter should ask poland for example
https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/budapest/20475.pdf
Russia and Belarus have been conducting a hybrid war against the EU in large part by weaponizing migration through Belarus and Russia. A Polish soldier was stabbed through the bars of a border fence by a migrant funneled through by Belarus. He just died. These are the friends of Fidesz who are attacking EU countries. Poland just rounded up a group of saboteurs at least one of which was plotting to assassinate the prime minister. The largest mall in Poland recently burned to the ground and sabotage organized by Russia is highly suspected. Hungary has no moral right to promote business with the enemies of the EU who attack us and at the same time expect from the EU free money and all the other benefits it can parasitically siphon off.
I would not be so sure that EU countries managed to totally rid their country of Russian energy. If mother nature does not cooperate, oil/gas prices will rise, inflation will return. EU is making a mistake for giving up a guaranteed energy supply. China and India are now the consumers of Russian energy. Russian economy has yet to suffer from decision, can EU countries say the same.
Money talks for our Politicians. Even if it means funding a regime bombing a neighbor back to the Stone Age. War crimes? That´s fine, as long as they are getting a “good deal”.
Ethics, morals, values are for fairy tales – not our Politicians.
“… become independent of Russian gas and have been moving forward” :)))
Yes, forward to the high tariffs on the liquefied American gas. The examples of wonderful progress has been already appeared in Germany. The economy is booming due to getting rid of Russian gas, isn’t it :))) ?
I’m no fan of Russia, but neither do I want a (world) war with it.
The West had at least two opportunities, including less than a couple weeks ago, to sit down with Putin and hammer out a deal, but…crickets.
It’s clear the shadowy pullers of the levers have decided that there will be a wider war with Russia. Hungary is 100% right to not want to have anything to do with.
Those who do want it are free and welcome to go to Ukraine right now. What they are neither free nor welcome to do is demand other men and women die.
@michaelsteiner – along with our Politicians and @mariavontheresa, you must this week on the 80th anniversary of D-Day be scratching your head, wondering what was in it for America and America´s servicemen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6R7fpThHd8
Lets we forget: many gave their lives to liberate the world from oppression – people from the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Saudi Arabia, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, and the Soviet Union.
@mat, i was talking about Poland, be smart and check the facts. Verify the next links and then talk your bs
https://www.statista.com/statistics/595758/natural-gas-average-price-poland/
https://hungarytoday.hu/utility-bills-fall-in-many-countries-yet-hungarians-still-pay-the-least-in-the-eu/
@Jose Hernandez, that is exactly what I did. Here is the link that you quoted:
https://www.energypriceindex.com/price-data
Electricity and natural gas end users prices. And in Hungary these numbers are much less. Therefore, it turns out that you are the person who talks BS.
Oh mat, dont put words kn my mouth that i never said (or words on my keyboard) the link you provided is not the same to the ones i shared, and yes, the end user prices might be lower, but guess why? The Hungarian demagogue. You will never accept your government is just manipulating their citizens. Go and move to russia if you want cheaper prices!
I watched the few remaining heroes attending the D-day ceremonies. It is a pity that most of you cannot differentiate between Germany in 1938 and Russia in 2022. Russia can be a utopia on its own when the people put their shoulder to the wheel.
Watching Zelensky at the celebrations was an insult to the vets. Ukraine sided with Nazis, murdered thousands of Jewish people. It was the Soviet Red Army that put an end to that.
Ukrainians were the enemy during WWII and should have been left out like Germans and Hungarians from the celebrations.
Maria. Zelensky is jew. Now imagine Poland celebrating the liberation of the country by the red army. Every day you are writing more and more non sense here!
@mariavontheresa – perhaps you didn´t get the memo. Hungary is not very good when it comes to picking sides in wars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_powers
You will note we are listed under “other Axis states” – whereas Ukraine is not. Do feel free to amend the entry, if you believe this to be incorrect.
And let us be very clear: the good nations and people of the world were fighting fascism. Germany, Hungary, all of humanity should be united in remembering and honoring the sacrifices by so many to deliver us from the Third Reich.