BUDAPEST: Hungary is not going to abandon energy cooperation with Russia because of the conflict in Ukraine and will continue such interac...
BUDAPEST: Hungary is not going to abandon energy cooperation with Russia because of the conflict in Ukraine and will continue such interaction, guided by practical rather than political considerations, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, reiterated at a press conference.
"I would like to underscore that we do not want to get rid of any sources that currently ensure Hungary’s energy security. At the same time, we would like to attract additional sources, preferably carbon-neutral energy sources," the Foreign Minister said responding to a relevant question.
Speaking after a meeting in Budapest with the ministers of energy of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Szijjarto said that "Hungary views energy purchases as a matter of physical reality rather than political preference and will not allow anyone to pressure it into abandoning any energy source."
Previously, Szijjarto has repeatedly noted that they are trying to push Hungary to stop supplies of Russian oil and gas.
The minister recalled that the government of the country remains committed to diversification, but this should not lead to the abandonment of reliable sources and delivery routes.
"Diversification does not mean replacing an existing energy source with another. Diversification means attracting even more sources for your energy supply," the minister said.
Russia remains the main energy exporter to Hungary. This year, it supplied 4.8 billion cubic meters of gas to Hungary, mainly through the TurkStream pipeline and its branches through Bulgaria and Serbia. Hungary also received more than 3.5 million tons of oil through the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline, passing through the territory of Ukraine, and it is expected that by the end of the year this volume will increase to approximately 4.8-5 million tons. In addition, the Paks nuclear power plant operates on Russian nuclear fuel.
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