Szijjarto wanted to meet with Filipović yesterday when Croatia marked Statehood Day and suggested meeting at the Zagreb airport’s VIP lounge.
According to the Economy Ministry, Filipović refused, finding it unacceptable to meet on Statehood Day and especially to do so at the airport’s VIP lounge. Filipović suggested meeting at the ministry today.
According to Večernji’s well-informed sources, Szijjarto wants to talk about oil and its transport by the Croatian JANAF pipeline to Hungarian energy group MOL’s refineries, which now receive Russian oil by the Druzhba pipeline.
Although it is expected that after imposing sanctions on Russian oil imports, the EU will allow Hungary and Slovakia to receive Russian oil by Druzhba for a while longer, the two countries will have to commit to doing everything to switch the supply route to JANAF, the daily said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has tried to explain Hungary’s objections to a Russian oil embargo by claiming that JANAF does not have sufficient capacity to transport oil to Hungary, which is false, the daily said, adding that Hungary will evidently have to admit this if it seeks urgent meetings with the Croatian minister in charge of energy.
Evidently, Hungary must urgently ensure alternative supply routes for two MOL refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, for which it depends on Croatia and will now have to be nicer in its relations with Croatia, the daily quotes its sources as saying.
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