Instead of philosophical-ideological debates, pragmatism and common sense are needed in the matter of energy supply security, Péter Szijjártó stated on Thursday in Azerbaijan.
According to the ministry's statement, the head of the department reported at the 27th Baku Energy Forum that secure energy supply is the most important issue on the agenda of international politics today, but the topic "has become absolutely over-politicized and over-ideologicalized."
In his speech, he emphasized: this should be a physical and mathematical question, in terms of sources and transport routes, as well as the calculation of the need.
"You can't heat houses, you can't cook, you can't run farms with ideological statements," he said.
He underlined: the most important task is to return to normality, pragmatism and common sense in this matter.
Péter Szijjártó emphasized that access to energy sources is determined by historical and geographical aspects, and that infrastructure development and investments are needed to change the national energy mix. While, according to him, "the debate is only about how to get rid of Russian energy carriers, there is no pragmatic dialogue about how to replace them."
He stated that the government will not agree to any sanctioning of Russian natural gas imports, as our country covers about 85 percent of its needs from Russian sources, not "just for fun", but because of geographical and infrastructural conditions.
He pointed out that
Hungary is clearly committed to diversification, for example the possible inclusion of gas from the Caspian Sea, but this can only take place following the expansion of production and the capacity of the trans-Anatolian pipeline, which requires serious investments.
"Azerbaijan is a good opportunity, we will be able to take Azeri natural gas into account in the future, but this is only realistic if the transport routes from the Caspian region to the central half of Europe will be developed. This requires European Union resources, commitment and programs," he said.
The minister warned: "instead of putting pressure on countries dependent on Russian energy sources to get rid of it, we in the European Union should think about how to include new sources in our energy mix."
"It is not enough for Brussels to just say to get rid of Russian energy carriers, because if we get rid of them, then what will happen the next day? How do we heat, how do we cook, how do we operate our farm?" he asked the question.
He said that words and deeds do not match, and cited the impossibility of the Nabucco and South Stream gas pipelines and the slippage in the production of the Black Sea gas fields as examples of this.
He stated that Hungary will not abandon its current energy supply system if it results in increased prices for people, as these have a huge impact on living conditions and the competitiveness of the economy.
On the occasion of the 27th Baku Energy Forum, Péter Szijjártó held talks with, among others, the energy ministers of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Romania, as well as the first vice president of the state oil company of Azerbaijan.
Source: Magyar Hírlap
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