Hungary will not support sanctions against Russian energy sector: FM
6 Min Read
Hungary's FM expresses regret that he was the only official from the EU to have met with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the UNGA.
-
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Sputnik on Saturday that his country will not support EU sanctions if they affect the country's cooperation with Russia in the energy sector.
"That's why we will continue our approach that energy is an absolute red line, we don't know what's going to be in this new [sanctions] draft, but what I can for sure tell you that we will protect our national interest, namely, that we will not agree with any kind of sanctions which would put an obstacle to the energy cooperation, because it's a physical issue for us," Szijjarto said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to the Foreign Minister, Russian energy resources are currently irreplaceable for Hungary.
"And physically, it is impossible currently, for my country to replace the Russian energy sources. It's impossible when it comes to oil, because the possible alternative pipeline has not enough capacity. And when it comes to gas, there is no other source and no other pipelines which could deliver the similar amount which would fall out because if you have an out falling volume, you need to be sure that you can replace it from somewhere," the diplomat explained.
Szijjarto stressed that his country will not allow the citizens to suffer from the conflict in Ukraine.
"I can speak on behalf of Hungary, we will avoid one situation, definitely, which would be that the Hungarian people would be forced to pay for a price of a war for which they have no responsibility," he indicated.
Hungary's gas storage at 41% full thanks to Gazprom
In a similar context, Szijjarto pointed out that Hungary's gas storage is at a satisfactory 41% full thanks to its cooperation with Russia's Gazprom, while the European average is 23%.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister said his country will have enough Russian gas to survive this winter thanks to supplies from Moscow, indicating that it is impossible for some EU countries to survive a winter without Russian gas deliveries.
Hungary will not support EU's possible veto lifting on votes on Russia
EU countries are considering the possibility of lifting the veto on the votes concerning Russia, but Hungary will not support this decision, Szijjarto told Sputnik.
"We don't agree. I mean, our colleagues usually speak about the respect towards European treaties, which we agree. The European treaties say very clearly that on the field of foreign and security policy, unanimity is required, and we stick to it," he said.
Budapest planning to speed up the construction of Paks II NPP
The Hungarian Foreign Minister also told Sputnik that Budapest is planning to speed up the construction of two power units under the Paks II nuclear power plant project and launch reactors by 2030.
Szijjarto specified that in order to hasten the construction process, "the first concrete in ground should be laid down next October or November the latest."
"And for that we need to have the milestones for the next one year. That's what I will clarify with [Rosatom CEO] Alexei Likhachev on Monday in Vienna," he mentioned, adding that the most important permits, namely for the core catcher and the nuclear island, have been issued.
It is noteworthy that Hungary's only nuclear power plant, Paks II, generates almost half of all electricity in Hungary, with the share expected to double after the planned commissioning of two new NPP reactor units. The Hungarian leadership has repeatedly emphasized that nuclear energy is a way to ensure the country's energy security.
In late 2014, Russia and Hungary signed an agreement on the construction of two additional advanced reactors for the Paks II nuclear power plant. The sides agreed that Russia would allocate 10 billion euros ($9.84 billion) in a loan to finance the construction of the units.
In late August, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) issued a number of permits for the construction of the fifth and sixth units of the NPP.
Hungary urging EU institutions not to sanction Paks II project
In a related context, Szijjarto said that Budapest is urging all European institutions and banks not to impose sanctions on the Paks II nuclear power plant project.
The Minister considered that anyone trying to hinder the implementation of the project would be attacking Hungary's sovereignty.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister mentioned that Budapest is working on modifications to the contract for the Paks II nuclear power plant project with Russia to avoid problems caused by Western sanctions against Moscow.
Sanctions against Russia deal serious harm to Europe
Regarding anti-Russia sanctions, Szijjarto considered that such sanctions deal serious harm to Europe, with the rise of inflation and the surge of food and fuel prices.
"If a sanction is more painful to you, yourself, than to the targeted entity, then it's useless," said the Hungarian Foreign Minister, adding that "it cannot be doubted they are extremely harmful to Europe because the prices are skyrocketing in Europe."
Szijjarto only EU official to meet with Lavrov at UNGA
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Sputnik on Saturday that he was the only official from the EU to have met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
"I regret that I am the only one from the European Union to talk to him because if there were more colleagues of ours talking to Sergey Lavrov, that might help in the resolution of the conflict, or at least definitely that will not diminish the chance for sure," Szijjarto considered.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister stated that he believes that all chances for conflict resolution must be used.
