Role of Mediation and Energy Security in the Focus of Foreign Minister’s Discussions

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó discussed the importance of mediation in armed conflicts and Hungary’s energy security with his Qatari and Turkish counterparts at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

The politician stressed ahead of the meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation that the international community’s response to the resolution of armed conflicts in the world has failed, as it is clear that there is no solution on the battlefield, only at the negotiating table. “We need a negotiating table instead of a battlefield, diplomacy instead of arms transfers. This is a summary of the experience of the past almost a thousand days,” he said.

Today we are gathering countries that see mediation, diplomacy as the first solution to armed conflicts,”

he added. The politician emphasized that the group is led by Türkiye, which has so far led the only successful mediation attempt in the Ukraine war.

“Qatar is the other country that has been particularly successful in the recent period. Especially concerning the Middle East conflict. Without the support, help and successful intercession of the Qataris, the three Hungarian hostages who are now safe would not have been released,” he pointed out.

“Unfortunately, there is still a Hungarian national among the hostages held by Hamas. The latest information we have is that he is alive and we sincerely hope that an agreement between the opposing parties can be reached soon so that he can regain his freedom,” Péter Szijjártó said, noting that Qatar is clearly a key player.

The Minister also said that he will meet his Qatari and Turkish counterparts later in the day, with whom, in addition to mediation efforts, another very important issue would be on the agenda: Hungary’s energy supply.

Turkey can play an important role in the security of Hungary’s energy supply now, and Qatar can play a significant role in the future,”

he highlighted. In this context, he noted that the TurkStream pipeline, which will provide most of the country’s natural gas supply, is a fully reliable route. “This pipeline has already delivered roughly as much natural gas this year as in the whole of last year, more than 5.5 billion cubic meters,” he underlined.

Finally, the minister explained that substantive discussions have already started with Qatar on how liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Middle East can be included in the Hungarian energy mix from 2027. He noted that the assessment of possible routes is underway, but what is certain is that there is a great need to expand the capacity of the network in South East Europe. “Natural gas transport capacities need to be increased and then it is a completely realistic scenario that LNG purchased from Qatar could also appear in the Hungarian energy supply from around 2027,” he concluded.

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