Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
Hungary wants to tap Russian gas via Turkey and expected intensifying talks with Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia about a potential new pipeline that could follow that route to central Europe, Reuters reported citing Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto.
Azerbaijan remains another possible gas source, according to Szijjarto.
"Regional cross-border interconnectors along a north-south corridor and possible imports from Croatia via a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal there were also desirable", he added.
Whichever plan works, the EU should assist financially, Szijjarto said.
He also said that Hungary wants to store more Russian gas after a major South Stream has pipeline plan was canceled.
Szijjarto said he had proposed to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak that Russia should store more gas in Hungary's underground reservoirs, following the cancellation of Russia's South Stream gas export plan.
"With South Stream being canceled we now have to look for new ways, how to get new sources and new routes into Central Europe," he said.
During the negotiations in Turkey on Dec.1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that under the current conditions, as well as due to the unconstructive position of the EU, Russia can't continue the implementation of South Stream project. Later, CEO of Russia's Gazprom Alexey Miller said that the South Stream project has been shut down.
The same day Gazprom and Turkey's BOTAS state pipeline company signed a memorandum of understanding on construction of an offshore gas pipeline across the Black Sea towards Turkey with the annual capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Under this agreement, it is planned to supply 14 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and the remaining part - nearly 50 billion cubic meters of gas - to the Turkish-Greek border.