Minister says Croatia will help Hungary and Slovakia with fuel imports

On Sunday evening the Hungarian Foreign Minister announced via social media that Budapest and Bratislava had called on Croatia to supply the two countries with oil via JANA’s Adria Pipeline after Ukraine blocked energy flows into their respective countries over their perceived support for Moscow.

Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar announced via social media on Monday that Croatia is ready to help Hungary and Slovakia with oil supply following the disruption of Russian oil imports via the Druzhba pipeline. Šušnjar said that JANAF's capacities are sufficient and that no technical excuses exist for importing Russian oil. The minister added that Croatia has acted responsibly and transparently in terms of regional energy security and will continue to do so, stressing that Croatia will not allow the fuel supply in Central Europe to be jeopardized.

This comes after Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on social media on Sunday night that both Hungary and Slovakia have requested of Croatia that it allow the transport of Russian oil through JANAF's Adria Pipeline since Ukraine has blocked their deliveries through the Druzhba Pipeline. Szijjarto said that due to Ukraine's refusal to restart oil transit through the Druzhba Pipeline for political reasons, he and Slovakian Economy Minister Denisa Sakova had sent a letter to Minister Šušnjar calling on Croatia to facilitate the transport of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline. The Hungarian Foreign Minister added that Hungary and Slovakia's exemptions from the sanctions provides for the possibility of importing Russian oil by sea if pipeline deliveries are disrupted. He also emphasized that a country's "security of energy supply" should never be an ideological issue, and that both ministers expect that unlike Ukraine, Croatia will not threaten the security of oil supply to Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons.

Meanwhile, European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho announced today that the possibility of importing oil through JANAF's Adria Pipeline is part of the diversification strategy the Commission is implementing, and also part of its strategy for the eventual complete abolition of fuel imports from Russia.

Source: HRT