Ambassador: Gazprom, Hungary’s MVM may amend gas contracts

BUDAPEST, Mar 30 (PRIME) -- Gazprom Export, the export arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom, and Hungarian energy company MVM may discuss amendments to the gas contracts if it becomes necessary because of the price cap, Moscow’s ambassador to Budapest Yevgeny Stanislavov told PRIME on Thursday.

In December 2022, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak had not ruled out amendments to the long-term gas contracts of the two countries if a price cap is introduced.

“If a price cap for Russian gas actually becomes a headache for the Hungarian side and if amendments to the conditions of supplies of Russian ‘blue fuel’ to Hungary become necessary to cure it, I will see no reason for this commercial problem not to be considered in the framework of working contacts between Gazprom Export and Hungarian national energy company MVM,” Stanislavov said.

Unlike its European partners, Budapest has always been rational about gas supplies, it always acts on its interests, while their Russian partners always comply with their obligations making the long-term gas contracts with Moscow the basis for Hungary’s energy security, he said.

Gazprom and MVM signed long-term contracts for delivery of up to 4.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Hungary per year in September 2021, while additional 5.8 million cubic meters of gas may be pumped to Hungary starting from September 1, 2022, he said.

He also said that there is no worry that the role of Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosatom in construction of the new reactors of the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary would diminish in favor of France’s Framatome.

“These is no concern (that participation of the French company would grow at the expense of Rosatom). Companies from France and Germany were chosen for production of some equipment for the nuclear power plant, and they are ready to fulfill this lucrative order. The problem is that the German government is delaying provision of the necessary permits using flimsy pretexts for that,” he said.

The Hungarian business is showing a sensible and pragmatic approach on the Russian market in spite of the troubles caused by sanctions, and no Hungarian company has withdrawn from Russia voluntarily, he added.

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