Hungary wants to increase gas purchases from Azerbaijan and Turkey - Szijjarto

BAKU. Aug 31 (Interfax) - Hungary is planning to increase purchases of natural gas from Azerbaijan and Turkey, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

He discussed gas transit issues in a telephone conversation on Wednesday evening with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, the diplomat said.

"The topic of conversation was the strengthening of our energy cooperation. Since we plan to buy more natural gas from Azerbaijan and Turkey, we will have an increasing need for transit transportation through Bulgaria. President Radev assured us that we can count on him for this," Szijjarto wrote.

"The expected cessation of natural gas transportation through Ukraine" will significantly increase the importance of the Bulgarian-Serbian-Hungarian transport route, he said.

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Hungarian MVM CEEnergy signed a contract this past June for shipments of 100 mcm of Azerbaijani gas to Hungary in 2023, which will commence in Q4.

Earlier, Szijjarto announced Hungary's desire to buy up to 2 bcm of gas from Azerbaijan annually.

Szijjarto announced on August 20, 2023 that following negotiations in Budapest between Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hungary would purchase 275 mcm of gas from Turkey in 2024. "We have completed work on an agreement with the Turkish company Botas, according to which we will purchase 275 mcm of gas from Turkey during the spring and summer of 2024," Szijjarto said.