Hungary, Slovakia ask Croatia to allow Russian oil transit via Adria pipeline

Hungary and Slovakia have formally requested that Croatia authorise the transit of Russian oil through the Adria pipeline following disruptions to supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Facebook that Budapest and Bratislava had jointly turned to Zagreb with the request after crude oil transportation through Ukraine was suspended at the end of last month. The disruption has been linked to large-scale Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Caliber.Az reports. 

Szijjártó said that Hungary and Slovakia had sought to continue purchasing Russian oil at affordable prices and, if deliveries via Druzhba were not possible, to receive supplies by sea. He noted that the relevant exemption from EU sanctions provides for maritime deliveries in cases where pipeline transportation becomes impossible.

According to the Hungarian foreign minister, he and Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková sent a letter to Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnar requesting that oil transit be immediately authorised in accordance with EU rules. He stressed that energy supply security should not be treated as an ideological issue and expressed the expectation that Croatia, unlike Ukraine, would not jeopardize oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons.

Earlier, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Ukraine of politically pressuring Hungary by interfering with the operation of the Druzhba pipeline.

By Sabina Mammadli