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Bulgaria has offered help to Hungary with oil supplies after Ukraine’s blocking

"Last year 5.6 bln cubic meters of natural gas were supplied to Hungary via Bulgaria, while this year we managed to purchase 3.9 bln cubic meters of natural gas," Peter Szijjarto stressed

BUDAPEST, July 24. /TASS/. Bulgaria has offered help to Hungary with oil supplies to its territory after Ukraine blocked pipeline deliveries from Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

"My Bulgarian colleague (Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitar Glavchev - TASS) has offered help in overcoming difficulties related to Ukraine’s ban on oil transit," he said following a conversation with the Bulgarian foreign minister.

"As a real friend and a reliable transit country, Bulgaria facilitates ensuring the security of Hungary’s energy provision. Last year 5.6 bln cubic meters of natural gas were supplied to Hungary via Bulgaria, while this year we managed to purchase 3.9 bln cubic meters of natural gas. We admitted that the European Union should indeed support energy security of Southeastern and Central European countries, facilitating infrastructure development," the minister stressed.

Earlier, Ukraine terminated Lukoil’s oil transit through its territory to Hungary and Slovakia because Kiev had put the company on its sanctions list. Oil from Russia is supplied to those countries via the Druzhba oil pipeline passing through Ukraine. Budapest and Bratislava have asked the European Commission (EC) to mediate a consultation procedure with Kiev due to suspension of transit of Russian oil by Ukraine. The EC will consider Hungary’s and Slovakia’s claim against Kiev’s decision to stop oil pumping later in the day. Brussels says that the situation with transit of Lukoil’s oil via Ukraine does not affect the European Union’s provision now.