Go to the Danube River media bank in Budapest. File photoBUDAPEST, Sep 14 The European Union may reconsider its sanctions policy this fall as «reality knocks on every door» in Western Europe as the cold weather sets in, Hungarian Foreign Ministry Secretary of State for Bilateral Relations Tamas Menzer said.
"Sanctions caused energy shortages and an explosive price hike in Europe… Therefore, the sanctions policy should be reviewed, because if Brussels, the EU change the sanctions policy, energy shortages and high prices could be stopped soon. I am not an optimist in this, but a revision of the sanctions can be expected in the fall, when the six-month period expires", he said on the air of the M1 TV channel.
Mentzer did not rule out that «more people will see reality» against the backdrop of the outgoing summer. “When it’s 30 degrees outside, it’s good to talk about gas supplies, but when cold weeks and months come and you have to heat and manage the economy, protect jobs, reality knocks on the door of every country in Western Europe,” the Secretary of State noted. At the same time, he assured that «there will definitely be gas in Hungary, the storage facilities are 38% full of consumption, we already have enough gas reserves for 81 winter days.» Answering a journalist's question about the statement of German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, who promised to be with Ukraine will be necessary», despite the opinion of German voters, Menzer noted that this is an internal matter of the Federal Republic of Germany and he has no right to comment on it, however, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto «would never say that, he would never say that he was not interested in what they think Hungarian voters about an extremely important decision.» Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that 11,000 sanctions were imposed against Russia, but they were unsuccessful, and the resulting inflation and energy shortages could bring Europe to its knees. According to him, Europe needs to change its sanctions policy, because otherwise the situation will be difficult, the continent itself makes its own life more expensive and complicates the situation of its own industry. His political adviser, Balazs Orban, said the sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia have not lived up to expectations, so they are likely to be revised in the new political season. According to a poll by the Szazadveg Public Opinion Research Center, more than 70% of Hungarians believe that anti-Russian sanctions harm Europe, including Hungary. Hungary called the idea of limiting the price of Russian gas absurd