Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 22 /corr. Trend E.Ostapenko /
Trend interviews the Hungarian government's special envoy on the Nabucco pipeline project, Mihaly Bayer.
Q: Does it seem to you that Europe should be in a hurry to construct alternative gas pipelines?
A: The question of constructing alternative gas pipelines was not put on the agenda only yesterday.
We have concrete projects like Nabucco, which is a priority project for the EU. And we are working actively on its implementation. I think that the current situation not only pushes formal efforts forward, but also accelerates them. First and foremost this goes for Nabucco.
Q: What role does Hungary see for the Nabucco project after the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflict?
A: Budapest's position on Nabucco is clear. We believe that Hungary needs to diversify its gas sources and trasport routes for import. This is a basic question of energy security for any country because we still depend on the export structure and system that we inherited after 1990.
Since then, the system has not change. Hungary has always considered Nabucco a priority project because it can ensure the diversification of gas resources and routes that we need.
I want to note that Prime Minister Ferenc Durchan said in a recent interview that there are different projects to diversify gas, but for us the priority - the number-one project - is the Nabucco gas pipeline.
Q: Hungary also participates in the South Stream project which will provide its first gas supplies to Europe in 2013. What is Budapest's interest in the project and what role will the country play?
A: I think that the South Stream project will serve our interests of diversification, but this project will only contribute to diversifying gas transport routes. It will not provide access to new resources - natural gas fields. Therefore, South Stream will make possible only partial diversification. Hungary considers Nabucco alone to be a priority project.
Q: Is Hungary prepared to increase investments in alternative energy resources?
A: We follow the EU policy that Hungary has approved and based on which the EU has sufficiently ambitious plans to increase the role of alternative energy sources. This is a question not only of Hungary's readiness. This is our responsibility as part of fulfilling the EU's pan-European policies.