TurkStream’s security crucial for Hungary, says foreign minister
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The security of the TurkStream gas pipeline is of paramount importance for Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, told a conference in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
Szijjártó addressed a meeting of energy ministers of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) in Almaty. The minister highlighted the increasing importance of the TurkStream pipeline, which is delivering natural gas from Russia via Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia to Hungary. Especially now when gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea are suffering disruptions, he said.
Szijjártó called on the leaders of countries being a partner to TurkStream to keep monitoring the pipeline’s operation. He said on Facebook the Hungarian government had repeatedly been attacked in connection with the implementation of the TurkStream project, adding that “without this pipeline, Hungary would be in a big trouble”.
Referring to the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, Szijjártó said they had led to a serious energy crisis in Europe with global implications. “The sanctions could be more painful for Europe than for the Russian Federation,” he added. The security of energy supplies is a physical, rather than an ideological or political issue for the Hungarian government, “therefore it is not a political question either, where energy is bought from,” he said.
The Hungarian government will never support any sanctions that could compromise the country’s energy supplies, “whether it is nuclear energy, oil or gas”, he said, adding that the government would represent the same position during talks on the EU’s 8th package of sanctions.
The Hungarian government has worked to diversify energy supplies, and the TurkStream pipeline has “proved to be the best investment”, as this is the only one coming from Russia that “is working with a 100-percent security”, the minister said.
FACT – there aren’t any gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea. Not since the beginning of this month, when Gazprom shut down Nord Stream 1. Nord Stream 2 was never operational.
What IS true is that critical infrastructure is at risk – see the recent – uh – mishaps with Nord Stream 1 and 2. So I would not shout too loudly that “Turk Stream works with 100% security”. Curious to see our Politicians’ reaction if it does become apparent that Russia is somehow tied to the mishaps in the Baltic Sea. We will know soon enough!
Lastly – there is zero Plan B when it comes to the Paks nuclear plant. Zero. It would be too easy to hold Hungary to ransom. Why – there could be a force majeure due to a piece of critical hardware being serviced, not available – all kinds of things (Gazprom on Nord Stream, anyone). We’ve tied the knot with Russia and they know it.