Hungary Continues to Import Oil from Russia

  The Hungarian government will continue to import oil from Russia amidst European Union sanctions against Moscow. Russian oil, which flows from the southern route of the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary, is exempt from the scope of European Union sanctions against Russia. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto after a telephone call with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on Monday (7/8/2023) said that Russia has assured that it will continue to supply oil to this country in accordance with its contractual obligations. "Russia's Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs assured us that Russia will supply crude oil in accordance with the contractual obligations with Hungary. Therefore, our country's energy security is guaranteed," said the Hungarian Foreign Minister. About 4.9 million tonnes of Russian oil will be supplied to Hungary via the southern line of the Druzhba pipeline in 2022. Oil from this pipeline also enters refineries in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.(PH)

  Hungary's parliament failed to vote on Sweden's membership of NATO in an extraordinary session convened at the initiative of the opposition parties. The ruling Fidesz Party and its supporters from the Christian Democratic Party boycotted the Hungarian parliament session Monday (31/7/2023), so that members did not reach a quorum to vote. Three months after the start of the war in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden abandoned their neutral positions and asked to join the NATO military pact, which all 30 members of the military pact had to agree to. After the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, the issue of NATO expansion has always been an important issue, and this issue has sparked serious opposition, both within and outside NATO.(PH)