Szijjarto: Natural gas deliveries start from Azerbaijan to Hungary

Speaking after a meeting of the Hungarian-Azeri mixed economic committee, Peter Szijjarto said both countries were hit hard by the effects of the war in Ukraine, but countries that can maintain good cooperation with the Caucasus region can adapt more successfully to the new conditions in energy supply, the ministry said in a statement.

He noted that, by diversification, Hungary means securing new resources of energy supply, and this is mostly possible from the southeast, rather than excluding well-functioning agreements. This is why the European Union has been asked to participate in the necessary infrastructure development, but they declined to provide support, he added.

“Therefore, from here on, Brussels has no say in where we fulfil our energy needs from; we will not accept any guidance or instructions on the matter,” Szijjarto said.

Following his talks with Azeri Minister of Labour Sahil Babayev, he said that a solution has nevertheless been found to the problem of diversification, partly thanks to Azerbaijan, as natural gas deliveries from that country have been started, in the amount of 55 million cubic metres in the first phase.

“And we will continue this cooperation, … we will take an increased amount from Azerbaijan in order to ensure the security of our natural gas supply,” Szijjarto said.

He noted that Hungarian oil and gas company MOL was already active in Azerbaijan, but its role will be further increased in the modernisation of extraction technologies and in the chemical industry.

In a few years, Azeri renewable energy could also become part of Hungary’s energy mix, Szijjarto said, with the construction of the world’s longest submarine cable, for which there is already a joint commitment from Hungary, Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan.