Latest news with #Szijjártó
Budapest Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
More Hungarians evacuated from the Middle East
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, confirmed that Hungary's government evacuated six Hungarian citizens from Iran on Thursday, adding that it has also suspended local operations of the Tehran embassy until the security situation improves. Minister Szijjártó said that evacuating Hungarians who had asked for help amid escalating fighting in the Middle East was a 'complex operation warranting thorough planning. Iran is subject to serious missile and bomb attacks, its airspace is closed … We organised the evacuation yesterday, after serious preparations, by cars towards Azerbaijan.' 'We managed to take six Hungarian citizens to Azerbaijan in the early hours [of Thursday], after a 12-hour wait at the border. They were expected by the staff of the embassy in Baku on the other side; by now, they have arrived in Baku and we are organising their transport home,' Minister Szijjártó said. 'Since we have managed to transport all Hungarians requesting help to Azerbaijan, I have instructed all diplomats working at the embassy in Tehran, and their families, to leave the country. The employees and their families, a total of 15 people including children, also crossed into Azerbaijan, and will temporarily complete the tasks of the Tehran embassy from there. I had to make that decision to protect the lives of the employees and their families…' Minister Szijjártó said. The foreign minister also confirmed that 13 more Hungarian citizens have been evacuated from Jordan, noting that the government, together with Slovakia, has helped a total of 26 Hungarians reach safety. Minister Szijjártó said the fighting in the Middle East remains intense, and the conflict zone around the war between Iran and Israel continues to widen. He said he had reviewed the current situation and the status of the war in a phone call with Gideon Saar, his Israeli counterpart. 'I told him the Hungarian position, namely that our interest lies in the people of the Middle East returning to their calm, safe and peaceful lives,' Minister Szijjártó said. 'We want the people of the Middle East — regardless of where they may live, their background and citizenship — to be able to live outside the shadow of the threat of terrorist attacks.' He said the evacuation of Hungarians still in the area was underway.
Budapest Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
FM: Hungary is being ‘gravely threatened' from Brussels and Kyiv
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary is being 'gravely threatened' from Brussels and Kyiv simultaneously, as the 'Von der Leyen-Zelensky plan is a grave threat to our homeland's energy security and may result in a steep increase in utility fees.' Minister Szijjártó held talks with his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, in Athens, and told the joint press conference after the meeting that stable, reliable and friendly ties like the ones between Hungary and Greece were especially valuable 'in an era of dangers when devastating wars ravage Europe and [our] neighbourhood'. Noting that he was scheduled to attend a 'large energy conference' after the meeting, Minister Szijjártó said that 'the von der Leyen-Zelensky plan' would bring about the risk of energy prices doubling in Hungary. Minister Szijjártó said that banning cheap and accessible Russian energy resources 'would put Hungary into severe dependence; it also harms our country's sovereignty as setting up the national energy mix is an exclusive competency of member states.' 'The REPowerEU package would cut the oil pipelines leading to Hungary down to one, and would close down the largest-capacity route for natural gas into the country,' he warned. Minister Szijjártó said the initiative was 'hypocritical', noting that Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Slovakia had earlier turned to the European Commission for support to extend the capacity of the pipeline system in south-eastern Europe, but had been rejected. 'So we are forced to phase out certain energy resources, but new delivery routes and resources are not supported. That is partly why I would like to forcefully defend Greece's pragmatic approach to energy issues, it is open to cooperation and doesn't let energy policy be overly politicised and ideologised,' he said. Budapest and Athens 'fully agree' on the importance of the duty to protect the external borders of the European Union. 'We are also strongly protecting our borders. We do not allow illegal migrants into the country; currently, there are 16 Hungarian policemen serving in Greece, helping border protection,' he said. Minister Szijjártó said Greek-Hungarian bilateral ties were a 'success story', with Hungarian exports hitting a record 800 million euros. Further, 'we are very proud of the Greek community in Hungary, which we will continue to support so they can preserve their identity and cultural heritage,' he said. Minister Szijjártó expressed his hope that 'the current cooperation, based on mutual respect, will continue between the two governments and countries.'
Budapest Times
3 hours ago
- Business
- Budapest Times
FM: Phasing out EU's imports of Russian gas and oil by end of 2027 would ruin Hungary
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, warned that a plan drafted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would put an end to Hungary's energy security. Minister Szijjártó told the Financial Times' Energy Transition Summit in Athens that the RePowerEU roadmap for phasing out the European Union's imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027 would 'ruin' Hungary, as the country couldn't manage its energy supply without deliveries from Russia. The foreign minister warned that, if the plan was implemented, the cost of Hungary's energy supply would climb by an annual EUR 2bn, causing household utility bills to double or triple. Minister Szijjártó said Hungary's energy supply was determined solely by geography and infrastructure, not by politics or ideology. He added that Russia had been the most dependable source of energy for Hungary so far. 'That is not a political declaration. That is not for ideological reasons. Rather, it is based on facts and our experience,' he said. Minister Szijjártó noted that Hungary, a landlocked country, had spent several hundred million euros on interconnectors with the energy networks of its neighbours in recent years. He also called out the EC for failing to provide financial support for the expansion of the gas network in Southeast Europe to support diversification. He said the plan to phase out Russian hydrocarbon imports would violate Hungary's sovereignty, as decisions on the national energy mix were in the scope of power of member states, according to the EU treaties. Instead of supporting diversification, the plan would lead to strong dependency, he added. Minister Szijjártó said the government would fight against the plan in order to preserve Hungary's energy security. 'We're not alone in the matter, as Slovakia is in a similar situation and depends on the same delivery routes,' he added. He welcomed the exclusion of Russian nuclear fuel from the plan, but suggested a close cooperation between the nuclear energy industries of Western Europe and Russia was the reason for the decision. 'That isn't a problem, but a double standard shouldn't be applied,' he added. Minister Szijjártó said energy diversification was important for Hungary's government, but only in the sense of tapping new sources, not exchanging one source of supply for another.
Budapest Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
FM: Next week's meeting of EU's Energy Council is expected to see a ‘big battle'
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said next week's meeting of the European Union's Energy Council is expected to see a 'big battle'. In a Facebook post, the foreign minister said the Hungarian government 'will not allow Brussels to take the money needed to extend the war in Ukraine from Hungarian families.' Minister Szijjártó said that the council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday is scheduled to table 'a Von der Leyen-Zelensky proposal aiming to force us to stop buying natural gas, crude oil and nuclear fuel from Russia.' Minister Szijjártó said: 'Brussels wants to support Ukraine by doubling or tripling the utility costs of Hungarian families.' Minister Szijjártó said he had talked to his Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanar, and they had agreed that 'such a gross violation of sovereignty is unacceptable.' 'The national energy mix is a matter of sovereignty that no outside player can interfere with. We are not willing to replace our already existing energy resources with more expensive and more unstable ones, not for the sake of Brussels or Kyiv,' Minister Szijjártó said. He pledged that the government would 'protect Hungarian families from having to pay two or three times the current utility fees because of the blackmail of [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky!'
Budapest Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hungarians in need of assistance should contact Hungary's embassies in Tel-Aviv and Tehran
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the Hungarian government has introduced the necessary security protocols in light of the recent Israeli attack on Iran, adding that Hungarians in need of assistance should contact Hungary's embassies in Tel-Aviv and Tehran. Minister Szijjártó said his ministry had contacted the two embassies and was informed that 'staff members are well despite the circumstances' and the two embassies had introduced 'the security protocols routinely applied in such situations'. Hungary has a consular service in both countries; so far, 787 Hungarian nationals have applied for consular protection in Israel, and 14 in Iran, the ministry quoted Minister Szijjártó as saying, in a statement. Both countries have closed their airports, the statement said. Minister Szijjártó also warned that further drone or missile strikes could not be ruled out, and civilian flights could be restricted in the region, asking travellers to consider those circumstances before setting off for the region in the next few days. Minister Szijjártó said the Hungarian foreign ministry is monitoring developments and will take further measures if necessary.
