Foreign Minister Warns Brussels of Violating Energy Security Guarantees
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Condemns Violations of Energy Security Guarantees by EU
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó recently wrote a letter to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy regarding the breach of energy security guarantees given to Hungary. The letter addressed two out of the four guarantees that were violated shortly after they were promised.
The European Commission had promised to negotiate the resumption of gas transit to Ukraine with Hungary’s involvement, but the Hungarian government was excluded from these talks despite repeated requests. Additionally, the Commission gave assurances that Ukraine would not attack the infrastructure responsible for energy supplies to the EU. However, a drone attack on the TurkStream compressor station Russkaya by Ukraine on February 28 directly violated this guarantee.
Szijjártó expressed his disappointment over the EU’s failure to protect the energy security of member states and its bias towards a candidate country. He emphasized that Hungary’s position on Ukraine will be influenced by the events and decisions surrounding these breaches.
The attack on the TurkStream pipeline, a vital component of Hungary’s natural gas supply, poses a serious threat to the country’s energy security and sovereignty. The Hungarian government views any attack on the pipeline infrastructure as an attack on its sovereignty.
This is not the first time Ukrainian forces have reportedly targeted the TurkStream pipeline. Earlier in January, drones attacked a compressor station in southern Russia crucial to the pipeline’s operation. Russia retaliated by destroying nine Ukrainian drones involved in the attack.
The Hungarian government’s stance on Ukraine and energy security will be guided by the EU’s response to these incidents. Szijjártó’s letter demanded clarification on the status of the four-point energy security guarantee and urged proactive steps to uphold these commitments.
As tensions escalate in the region, Hungary remains steadfast in protecting its energy security and sovereignty against external threats.
Via MTI, Featured photo via Pixabay
