Foreign minister Peter Szijjarto – Photo: Facebook

Szijjártó: Secure energy supply was ‘matter of national security and sovereignty’

The foreign minister praised Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey for being dependable transit countries for energy deliveries.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary must closely cooperate with Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey to find a solution to ensure a secure energy supply amid external pressure.

Speaking at the Istanbul Energy Forum on Friday, Minister Szijjártó said secure energy supply was a matter of national security and sovereignty, but also about physical reality, removed from politics or ideologies. He added that energy mixes were for every nation to decide and any interference in that area was politically or economically motivated.

Endangering a country’s secure energy supply with sanctions or by blocking energy deliveries is an attack on national sovereignty, he said. “We reject all such initiatives which are especially heinous when they come without prior notice,” he added.

Minister Szijjártó noted that the United States’ outgoing government had placed Russia’s Gazprombank on a sanctions list, which could pose a challenge for some countries in Central and Southeastern Europe.

“Therefore, we, the countries of the region, must and will closely work together to find a solution to ensure the secure energy supply of our countries amid the changed circumstances, regardless of any external pressure and attacks,” he said.

He praised Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey for being dependable transit countries for energy deliveries.

“We are not ready to swap dependable partners, especially if we haven’t got any better offer,” he added.

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