Azerbaijan starts gas shipments to Hungary in April

BAKU. April 25 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani gas shipments to Hungary under a contract for 100 million cubic meters began in April of this year, Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev said on Thursday at a briefing following the 10th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Hungarian intergovernmental commission in Baku.

"These are the first steps, and very serious discussions are now underway to significantly increase the volume of supplies," Babayev said.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at the briefing that representatives of MOL were in Baku to discuss increasing gas purchases. "Hungary bought 50 million cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas in April," he said.

Szijjarto said that MOL also expected to increase its participation in Azerbaijan's oil and gas sector. "Azerbaijan's energy resources play an important role in Hungary's energy system," he said.

State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) and Hungary's MVM CEEnergy signed a contract in June 2023 for the supply of 100 million cubic meters of gas.

Szijjarto said earlier that Budapest had reached an agreement with Baku to increase purchases of Azerbaijani gas to 1 billion cubic meters per year.