Hungary understands Serbia's reluctance to join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russia over Ukraine because both European countries depend on Moscow for gas, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2022) Hungary understands Serbia's reluctance to join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russia over Ukraine because both European countries depend on Moscow for gas, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
"We understand that you do not want your people to freeze... Neither do we. That is why we are buying gas from Russia," Szijjarto told Serbian state news agency Tanjug.
Szijjarto said natural gas imports from Russia had no political or ideological undertones. Hungary has been criticized in the EU for sticking with Russian gas despite Brussels' drive for diversification.
Hungary signed a contract with Gazprom this week that will see Russia pump an extra 5.8 million cubic meters of gas per day from September through the TurkStream pipeline and Serbia.
Szijjarto came to Belgrade on Friday to attend the summit of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania. The three aspiring EU member states launched an Open Balkan initiative in 2019 to facilitate their accession. Some EU nations insist that membership candidates must align themselves with the EU on Russia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters after hosting his Slovenian counterpart, Borut Pahor, that he would not be able to explain to the Serbian people why he chose to sanction Russia for violating the Ukrainian territorial integrity while ignoring Slovenia's support for breakaway Kosovo.
