PM Orbán: new energy crisis looming, so he travelled to Serbia
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will hold talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Saturday, the PM’s press chief told MTI.
Energy security will be the most important topic
The energy security of the countries as well as the region will be the most important topic at the talks, said Bertalan Havasi, noting serious challenges posed by U.S. crude sanctions and steps by Ukraine to restrict transit deliveries of Russian gas. The talks will also touch on bilateral ties, including cooperation in the areas of economy, transport and defence, he added.
In a Reels video shared after Orbán’s arrival, the prime minister said Europe was heading towards a new energy crisis due to the US sanctions and Ukraine’s decision not to transfer gas on the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungary, Serbia affirm strategic energy cooperation
Hungary and Serbia have affirmed their strategic cooperation in the area of energy, the foreign minister said after a bilateral summit in Belgrade on Saturday. In a statement issued by his ministry, Szijjártó said both countries aimed to ensure secure energy supply at competitive prices, while Hungary wanted to maintain its regulated household utilities price scheme.
He pointed to recent decisions that had weighed on energy supply in the region, such as new sanctions introduced by the “failed Democratic administration” in the U.S., the halt of gas transit deliveries via Ukraine and attacks on the TurkStream gas pipeline. He added that Hungary’s insistence on the construction of the TurkStream had contributed to the country’s energy security as had the establishment of interconnectors with the gas networks of six of its seven neighbours.
Serbia also gets most of its gas through the TurkStream and the secure and reliable operation of the pipeline is in the common interest of both countries, he said, highlighting the importance of a strategic cooperation between Hungary and Serbia based on mutual respect and trust.
He noted that an agreement had been reached to accelerate joint energy infrastructure investments and said capacity of an interconnector between the two countries’ electricity grids would be doubled by 2027 or 2028. A crude pipeline between Serbia and Hungary could be completed in around three years, he added. He welcomed the start of operation of a joint Hungarian-Serbian-Slovenian power exchange.
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