Hungarian Foreign Minister encourages EU not to "hide the truth" concerning Russian gas
Date
7/23/2022 6:55:14 AM
(MENAFN) Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has remarked that the EU should be honest about the facts of Russian gas supply rather than treat it as an ideological issue.
"It has been proven that the purchase of Natural gas is not an ideological issue, but a physical issue that can’t be solved by talking," Szijjarto informed journalists on Friday after a trip to Moscow.
In reaction to Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine, which began in late February, the EU has urged member nations to reduce their reliance on Russian gas.
On Thursday, Germany activated the "alarm stage" of its emergency gas plan, while the European Commission urged members to reduce their usage of gas by 15% from August until the end of March next year.
Budapest, on the other hand, has stated that it intends to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas from Moscow in order to guarantee that it has adequate reserves to withstand the winter. According to Szijjarto, the requisite volumes can only be obtained from Russia.
"I’ll be frank: I’ve been hearing from leading politicians in Western Europe in recent months that they’ve gotten it all sorted out. They have found alternative sources, they have bought gas from elsewhere, they have gotten rid of their dependence on Russia. So why the alarm? " Szijjarto added.
"After a while, the heating season will arrive and politicians would have to say if there is gas or not," he highlighted, noting that politicians should not "hide the truth" about energy supplies.
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