Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Peter Szijjártó says that undermining Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 should be seen as a terrorist attack.
“This is the first time a European critical infrastructure of this size has been attacked. Nobody but attacked. And such an attack should be considered an act of terrorism, ”the minister told RIA Novosti.
According to him, what happened at the pipelines is “truly scandalous” and Hungarian authorities favor a “comprehensive, deep, structured and detailed investigation” of the incident. Who is starting this investigation?
The head of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the UN should play an important role in this. According to him, this organization was created not as an association of like-minded countries, but as a communication platform between states.
“Under the auspices of the UN, even enemies can and should talk to each other. So I think the UN really has a role to play because that’s not the case at the moment,” explained Szijjártó.
According to him, the organization should provide a mechanism to investigate the incident and can also serve as a platform for such transactions.
Position of the Prime Minister of Hungary
Commenting on the situation around Nord Stream, RIA Novosti writes that Prime Minister Viktor Orban described the incident as a terrorist attack in October 2022.
“The last high-capacity natural gas pipeline is the Turkish Stream feeding Hungary. “If someone blows it up or disables it and both our country and Serbia see it as a terrorist attack, they will act accordingly,” Orban said.
In February, the Hungarian prime minister also spoke about the conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia. He called on his political opponents all those who support a military solution to the crisis in Ukraine, including US officials and the leadership of the European Union.
According to Orban, quoted in the Magyar Nemzet newspaper, Europe has weakened because Washington “imposes its own interests on Brussels at the expense of European interests.” According to the prime minister, while the “sanctions tsunami” is destroying the EU economy, the USA, which has cheap energy, stays away from this disaster.
Criticizing the European countries’ arms supply to Ukraine, Orban said, “Europe has lost its independence, economic and military power in less than a year.”
The head of the Hungarian government believes that his country should be guided by his own interests. To do this, it must maintain its political independence, stabilize the economy, and “strengthen Hungary’s military power” without getting involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
What is known about the event
On the night of September 26, 2022, explosions occurred in two Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines extending from the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Germany. Some parts of the pipes are completely destroyed. Nord Stream operator Nord Stream AG reported that explosions in gas pipelines were unprecedented and it was impossible to predict the timing of pipe repairs.
Initially, Sweden, Germany and Denmark agreed to conduct a joint investigation, but the idea was later abandoned. In October 2022, Swedish authorities announced the completion of their investigation, citing “massive sabotage suspicions have increased”, but those responsible for the explosion were not named.
The Kremlin described the crash as an act of international terrorism. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the “Anglo-Saxons” for the incident. Moscow wants an international commission set up by the UN Secretary-General to investigate what happened.