The foreign minister has confirmed that Gazprom will deliver up to a daily 5.8 million cubic meters of natural gas on top of the volumes outlined in a long-term agreement between Hungary and Russia via Serbia in September and October.
Speaking on the sidelines of an informal meeting of his European counterparts in Prague, Péter Szijjártó said that the maximum extra amount was 2.6 million cubic meters a day in August. Representatives of Hungary and Gazprom have signed the relevant agreement, the minister said. Minister Szijjártó added, however, that the exact volume of gas to be delivered on top of contracted volumes depended on “technical and technological details”. Receiving increased volumes of gas contributes to Hungary’s energy security and will help avoid restrictions due to a possible shortage of gas, he said. Szijjártó noted that Hungary’s gas reserves have exceeded 36.5 percent of annual average consumption compared to the EU average of 21.5 percent. Concerning the Prague meeting, Minister Szijjártó said the EU would not impose a general visa requirement on Russian citizens. He said the proposal to introduce such a restriction had met objections by several member states including Hungary. The EU will, however, terminate an agreement with Russia under which Russian citizens could benefit from simplified visa procedures, he said.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter