#Croatia Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar on the whole #Hungary "energy crisis" drama. Quick reminder: after #Russia bombed #Brody pumping station in #Ukraine, Russian oil stopped flowing to Hungary, who - very logically - blamed... Ukraine for that interruption. Croatia stepped up and offered restoring the transfers through their pipelines, but Hungary consistently refuses as Croatia won't route Russian oil.
So here's Ante Šušnjar statement
Hard to keep up with the excuses coming these days from some Hungarian politicians and energy company managers about why Russian oil “must” flow through the Adriatic Pipeline.
One day it’s capacity. The next it’s transit fees. Day three, it’s refinery compatibility. Day four, a sudden conversion - now there’s unexpected faith in the EU, together with dramatic threats. And then, my personal favourite: the “bad Croatian politicians” (not me, obviously – my naughty, naughty colleagues).
At this pace, and given the strength of the arguments so far, I half expect the next round of complaints to be about the weather forecast at the oil terminal on Krk Island. Spoiler: it will probably rain, but it will still be better than in Moscow.
Meanwhile, tankers keep docking in Krk. Compliant crude keeps unloading, and six more tankers are due in March. Oil aligned with EU sanctions and OFAC rules keeps flowing to our friends in Slovakia and Hungary. The legal, financial, political, and moral arguments are all on the side of such an approach.
So what’s with all the panic? The Adria Pipeline is doing what pipelines do.
P.S. As Yes, Minister would put it: “Only ministers panic about them.” And in politics, panic is so often just another name for vested interests under pressure.
Source: https://xcancel.com/susnjar_a/status/2029301303462248624?s=20
