Becoming the central gas distributor of the region would bring considerable economic and political benefits for Hungary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told MTI.

The news agency contacted the Ministry after Ambassador of Russia to Hungary Vladimir Sergeyev had said in an interview with Hungarian economic daily “Napi Gazdaság” that Hungary may become a regional gas distribution centre based on its gas storing capacities. According to the Ambassador, the Hungarian distribution centre could primarily be filled with Russian gas.

Hungary has the potential to act as the central gas distributor in the region and to thus significantly contribute to the security of supply of the country and the region, the Press Department of the Ministry stated.

As they pointed out, Hungary’s storing capacity of 6.3 billion cubic metres is of strategic importance even at a regional level. The storage facilities and cross-border natural gas interconnectors established with neighbouring countries provide the basis for Hungary to become a gas distribution centre in the region, they wrote, adding that the possibility of increasing the amount of natural gas stored in Hungary had also been mentioned during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Hungary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that better use of the existing infrastructure would boost the economy, and the country could gain considerable revenues. Furthermore, the country could increase its political weight if Hungary would contribute to the improvement of the region’s security of gas supply, they noted.

Answering a question about how the regional gas distributor status serves the purpose of diversification of gas sources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade replied that “by strengthening the country’s central role in the region even more actors of the international energy industry may decide in favour of storing their stocks in Hungary, or choose us as the endpoint of pipelines to be built with the aim of diversification.”

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)