Hungary and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are in strategic agreement that oil supplies are not a political issue, and the question of crude oil deliveries must not be "politicized", Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade - Peter Szijjarto - emphasized in a Facebook post on Tuesday, after meeting with OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghais in Vienna.
As a crude oil importer, Hungary is, of course, dependent on the decisions of oil-producing countries, but it is equally reliant on the transit countries through which oil is transported, making the security of oil transit a strategic issue, Mr. Szijjarto emphasized in his entry.
FM Szijjarto added that he and OPEC's secretary general were in full agreement that no country has the right to jeopardize another country's energy security by monopolizing transit pipelines passing through their territory or using them for political purposes, thereby endangering crude oil supplies.
FM Szijjarto also pointed out that on Monday, he had to inform OPEC's secretary general that two of Hungary's neighbors had recently put the country in a difficult position with regard to crude supply with their "politically-based decisions." SG Haitham al-Ghais expressed full solidarity with Hungary and the sides agreed to cooperate on making it clear to everyone in the future that energy - including crude oil supplies - "is not a political matter, but a physical issue", he added.
Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto holds talks in Vienna (Photo: AFP)
