The current visit to Russia has two goals, one is to fully ensure Hungary's energy supply, and the other is to declare that our country wants peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in Moscow on Thursday.
Sergey Lavrov , the head of the ministry underlined that the government has an obligation to fully ensure Hungary's supply even in the midst of the European energy crisis. As he said, that is why they decided to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of natural gas over and above the amount stipulated in the long-term contracts, which "whether you like it or not, would not be possible without sources from Russia."
"You can sell vain hopes, you can daydream, you can blow up communication balloons, but the fact remains the fact, the physical reality remains the physical reality, that without Russian resources it is simply impossible to buy so much extra natural gas in Europe today," he said .
He added that gas reservoirs are being filled according to schedule, the level of which currently stands at 27.3 percent of annual consumption, while the European average is 17.3 percent. "In normal times, this would be enough, it would provide security, but we all know that we are not living in normal times, so we have to be even more certain," he emphasized.
Péter Szijjártó reported that all the necessary measures were taken in Hungary to receive the extra quantity and secure financial resources. In the coming weeks, approximately 20 million cubic meters of delivery capacity per day will be available for this purpose on the southern route and on the interconnector from Slovakia and Austria.
He also mentioned that the negotiations have been going on for some time at the professional and company level, but a political agreement is also needed, and the purpose of the current meeting is precisely to close the process as quickly as possible and to start the delivery as soon as possible.
"Despite all kinds of circumstances, we want to ensure that no one in Hungary is placed in an unworthy or vulnerable situation, that there is enough natural gas for every Hungarian person, every Hungarian family and every Hungarian business," he said .
The minister stated that another purpose of his visit was to make it clear: Hungary wants peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, because war has tragic consequences.
"We ask everyone to do everything in order for the war to end as soon as possible and for peace to be established as soon as possible. We want an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations," he underlined.
Finally, he stated that it would be against the Hungarian national interest if the world went in the direction of the bloc again. "We don't want a world order again where we find ourselves on the periphery of one block, in a conflict zone or in an area next to a conflict zone," he stressed.
Péter Szijjártó held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as Aleksandr Novak , responsible for energy affairs, and Gyenisz Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister for Industry and Trade, in Moscow. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade shared live the video of his joint press conference with Lavrov.
Source: Magyar Hírlap/Facebook
(Caption image: Facebook screenshot)
