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Hungary’s Foreign Minister to hold talks with Gazprom, Rosatom in Moscow this week

Peter Szijjarto recalled that the sanctions the European Union imposed against Russia do not apply to gas supplies through pipelines, as well as to nuclear energy

BUDAPEST, October 11. /TASS/. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary Peter Szijjarto said that he would travel to Moscow this week to discuss energy issues. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday after talks with Slovenian Economy Minister Matjaz Han, he specified that he would hold meetings with representatives of Gazprom and Rosatom.

"I'm going [to Moscow] to avoid problems with energy supply and to hold necessary negotiations with Gazprom and Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom so that Hungary can have energy supply not only next month, but also in winter," Szijjarto said.

He did not specify the issues he is going to discuss in Moscow. He recalled that the sanctions the European Union imposed against Russia do not apply to gas supplies through pipelines, as well as to nuclear energy. Hungary considers this extremely important, since it receives the bulk of its fuel from Russia and cooperates with Rosatom on the operation of the Paks nuclear power plant and the construction of two new nuclear reactors there.

In July, the Hungarian government announced plans to buy an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas from Russia to ensure the security of the country's energy supply in the coming months.

In late August, Hungary signed a contract with Gazprom for a period of two months for the supply of an additional 5.8 million cubic meters of gas per day from September 1.

In September last year, the Hungarian company MVM signed two long-term contracts with Gazprom, which provide for the supply of a total of 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year via pipelines through Serbia and Austria, bypassing Ukraine. The agreement is designed for 15 years and can be reviewed 10 years after the start of implementation.