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Croatia not a reliable country for oil transit to Hungary, Slovakia — Szijjarto

Croatia formally notified the European Commission (EC), Hungary and Slovakia about readiness to provide the two countries with oil via the Adriatic oil pipeline JANAF, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic said on August 1

BUDAPEST, August 2. /TASS/. Croatia is not a reliable country as regards oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia after the suspension of Russian fuel transit, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto said.

"Croatia is simply an unreliable country for transit. They raised the transit fee from the start [of the conflict in Ukraine] in a way that it is five times higher than the market average," the minister wrote on his page in Facebook [banned in Russia, owned by Meta recognized as extremist in Russia].

Croatia prevented Hungarian energy company MOL from securing "long-term use of transport facilities," Szijjarto said. "Suspension of eastern oil deliveries will make Hungary and Slovakia dependent on the transit route via Croatia, which cannot be relied upon," he added.

Croatia formally notified the European Commission (EC), Hungary and Slovakia about readiness to provide the two countries with oil via the Adriatic oil pipeline JANAF, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic said on August 1. Supplies are anticipated to be made via the pipeline connecting the Omisalj port terminal on the Krk Island in the Adriatic Sea with the territory of Hungary.

On July 17, Ukraine unilaterally blocked oil supplies via the Druzhba oil pipeline under the pretext of sanctions against Russian oil producer Lukoil. Slovakia and Hungary demanded an immediate start of consultations with Ukraine with the mediation of the European Commission. The latter has not taken any measures on this situation thus far.

The EC refused to hold urgent consultations on oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia being blocked by Kiev on August 1. The Commission referred to absence of an immediate threat to energy security of the European Union.