The operating company of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline will move from the Netherlands to Hungary, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced in Moscow on Tuesday, December 9th. He said the relocation is necessary to guarantee uninterrupted operation amid the persistent “legal and financial attacks” on Hungary’s energy cooperation.
Szijjártó stressed that Hungary’s energy security cannot currently be maintained without cooperation with Russia, calling it “a physical, not political or ideological” issue. Without this partnership, he warned, Hungary would be unable to preserve its reduced utility prices and could face a tripling of energy costs. He added that Budapest must protect from “both Brussels and, unfortunately, Kyiv” its long-term energy supply, citing recent Ukrainian attacks on the oil pipeline.
“The conditions for continued operation will be assured, and the payment transactions related to the functioning of the TurkStream pipeline will not fall under sanctions,” Szijjártó posted on X.
