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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto spoke to Türkiye Today at the Istanbul Energy Forum on Friday.
FM Szijjarto adressed key topics related to Hungary's energy strategy, its relations with Azerbaijan, and Hungary's position on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) latest decision regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following the arrest warrant against Netanyahu, messages of support for the decision came from many countries around the world, while Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto called the decision"absurd".
Szijjarto also expressed Hungary's strong disapproval of the ICC's decision regarding Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. "We think it's absurd," he said, arguing that the ICC has become a politically motivated body.
Szijjarto rejected the idea of equating a democratically elected prime minister with leaders of terrorist organizations, calling it "totally unacceptable from our perspective."
We think it's absurd because ICC became a political body, declaratively, declaredly in this regard.
We absolutely cannot accept the fact that there is an equality sign being put between a prime minister who is democratically elected and leaders of a terrorist organisation.
So this is totally unacceptable from our perspective
Hungary Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto
When asked about Hungary's acquisition of energy from the Shah Deniz gas field, Szijjarto emphasized the strategic importance of this partnership with Azerbaijan.
"We are interested in enhancing our energy cooperation with Azerbaijan in various fields," he said, adding that owning shares in the Shah Deniz field is a key investment for Hungary.
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We are interested in enhancing our energy cooperation with Azerbaijan on many fields. Owning a field of Shah Deniz is a strategic investment of ours. And then our national electricity company is putting a lot of effort on being a regional company, a company of regional significance.
That's why this purchase of these shares fits into the plans of the company. We would love to see more as a result in our energy mix as well, like in Hungary, but currently physically it's impossible.
Given the fact that the capacity of the pipeline network in the south-eastern region of Europe is limited. And regardless that we have asked for the financial support of the European Union, we were rejected.
The European Union is not ready to finance any investments into increasing the capacity of the pipeline network in the southeastern part of Europe, which is essential from the perspective of increasing the deliveries from Azerbaijan to Hungary.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto
Regarding Hungary's dependence on Russian gas, Szijjarto defended the current arrangement, highlighting that Russia is a reliable energy partner.
Q: Could Hungary transition away from Russian gas? What are the advantages versus disadvantages, advantages vis-a-vis other gas?
A: Why should we? Russia is a reliable partner for us. The price we pay to Russia for gas is a competitive price. Russia has always delivered the contracted volumes and we have no reason to change. We have never received any better offer and in case there is a lack of a better offer why we would change a reliable partner to something uncertain.
This interview reflects Hungary's pragmatic energy policy, which continues to rely on Russian gas while exploring stronger ties with Azerbaijan, as well as the country's firm stance on international legal issues.
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