Hungary To Wean Itself Off Russian Gas

  • 16 Nov 2018 10:22 AM
  • Hungary Matters
Hungary To Wean Itself Off Russian Gas
Hungary’s prime minister has indicated that aims over the next decade include reducing the country’s exposure to Russian gas.

Hungary should gradually remove its unilateral dependence on Russian energy, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at a plenary session of the Hungarian Diaspora Council held in Budapest.

Hungary needs to build its internal capacities and diversify access to foreign energy sources, he said in the wide-ranging speech. From that aspect, the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant is of key importance in terms of maintaining Hungary’s sovereignty, he added.

Orbán also said Hungary aimed to be among the five best and most competitive countries of the European Union by 2030, a country in which “it is best to live and work”. In the shorter term, Orbán said “the culture of patriotism should be promoted and the culture of self-hatred suppressed”.

By 2022, the country’s competitiveness will have “tangibly improved”, new “demographic incentives” will have been launched and an independent Hungarian army developed.

In terms of the military, Hungary “lags behind” other countries in the region, he said, insisting that “a country cannot be strong without an army capable of protecting it”.


MTI Photo: Koszticsák Szilárd

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