MINSK, May 29. /TASS/. Hungary expects that supplies of Russian oil via the Druzhba oil pipeline will continue via the territory of Belarus, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference after talks with his Belarusian counterpart Sergey Aleinik.
Belarus is playing an important role in supporting Hungary’s energy security because 80% of its oil imports are coming via the Belarusian territory, Szijjarto noted. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic receive Russian oil over the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline. "Last year, 4.5 mln metric tons of oil came to Hungary by this route, and as much as almost 2 mln metric tons this year," the Hungarian foreign minister said.
"Secure oil deliveries to Hungary would not be possible without the Druzhba oil pipeline," Szijjarto said. "There is no another oil pipeline in Hungary, where it will be possible to transport a similar quantity of oil, he noted. "Since Croatia increased the transit fee and not the capacity of its pipeline, we now depend on transit via Belarus," the minister noted, meaning the Adria oil pipeline that does not have such throughput capacity as the Druzhba pipeline has.