Brussels also wants to accept a tenth package of sanctions against Russia, even though the measures so far have not fulfilled the hopes attached to them, and even according to Péter Szijjártó they have clearly backfired. At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade emphasized that Hungary's energy supply is secure. In the future, we can also buy natural gas from Azerbaijan.
Hungary's natural gas supply is safe because the Russian side is fully fulfilling the long-term, 15-year contract with Gazprom, so the country's medium- and long-term supply is assured, stated Péter Szijjártó in an interview with Origo. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: regardless, the government's goal is to diversify.
"The more sources you can get natural gas from, the better. (…) It will be physically easiest, in the largest quantity, and with relatively the fewest complications to bring [natural gas] to Hungary from Azerbaijan," he explained, adding that negotiations on procurement have already begun.
Of course, the head of the ministry also touched on the war, in connection with which he emphasized: the sanctions against Russia have not fulfilled the hopes attached to them, despite this, Brussels continues to impose measures harmful to the European economy. "Already in the years before the war, the possibility of pragmatic, rational dialogue was missing from the European Union, and now, if someone formulates a rational argument, they are immediately called a propagandist of the Kremlin, an ally of Putin. (…) From the fact that the nine sanctions packages so far did not work, we draw the conclusion that a different policy should be chosen, but according to Brussels, a tenth package is also needed," said Péter Szijjártó.
The politician also spoke about how, in his view, we are living in an age of danger, since the past 12 years were practically full of crises, which the Hungarian government managed well to the best of its ability, but the left would have pushed the country into disaster.
"In recent years, we Hungarians have experienced the red mud disaster, the financial crisis, the illegal migration crisis, the coronavirus epidemic and its economic consequences, and then the war broke out in our neighborhood. In addition to the war - which means a security crisis - we also have to face a food and global energy supply crisis, moreover, the waves of migration are getting stronger, and in addition to all this, a global political system creating a situation worse than the Cold War is being created before our eyes. If these many crises had been handled by the left, Hungary would be in really serious trouble right now, he said.
The interview also discussed the Paks expansion, which Péter Szijjártó considers essential for Hungary's energy security, but also the situation of Hungarians in Ukraine. He said about this: "In 2015, for the first time in Ukraine, decisions and laws were made that represented a step back from the point of view of national communities, including the Hungarian national minority. This was the period
when they started to curtail the use of minority languages primarily in the field of education, but also in public administration, culture and the media. (…) This is unprecedented in Europe in today's world."
He added that because of the war, this case was closed, "but we will not forget it."
Source: Magyar Hírlap
Featured Image: Facebook
