Central-Europe, and Hungary in it, is in a situation infrastructure-wise over which it has no control as regards the importation of natural gas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told journalists on Thursday.
The Minister said that natural gas can at present reach Hungary from three directions: via Ukraine from Russian sources, via Austria mostly from Russian sources, or from Slovakia, but there is no gas coming from this line. At the same time, Gazprom tied up almost the entire capacity of the German-Czech and Czech-Slovak interconnectors up to 2039, and consequently, also from there only gas originating from Russia can flow into Hungary.
Croatia and Romania could be further solutions, but these countries, as the Foreign Minister put it, keep Hungary under blockade.
“In light of the situation, the idea of diversification may sound good, it may be a good idea to buy gas from multiple sources, but neither the United States, nor the European Union has been able to implement infrastructure developments in recent years (…) so we have no other option but to come to an agreement with the Russians also for the period beyond 2021” so that we meet our gas needs at least partially from Russian sources, the Minister said.
He also told journalists that Hungary is only interested in an agreement regarding Russian gas supplies beyond 2021 which stipulates a lower price than that charged at present as the world market price of natural gas is on the decrease. In response to the suggestion that gas could be purchased more cheaply at market prices, even from Russian sources, than based on a long-term agreement, the Minister said that they are only just beginning to negotiate the terms of the agreement for after 2021, and so at this point in time it is not yet possible to pass judgement regarding the agreement.
He added: Hungary’s annual gas consumption is increasing, and currently stands at around 9 billion cubic metres.