Hungarian-Slovak gas interconnector “historic”, says Orban

Budapest, March 27 (MTI) – From the point of view of Hungary’s energy supply, the Hungarian-Slovak gas interconnector is of historic significance, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday at a ceremony to open the pipeline in Szada.

Orban noted that the pipeline would not be transporting gas of Russian origin into Hungary. “Whatever happens to the east of us, gas will arrive in Hungary in any event,” he said. He underlined the government’s aim of ensuring in Hungary the cheapest household and industrial energy in Europe.

Orban was joined by his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, at the transit station located in Pest County, for the ceremony.

The Socialist Party said in a statement that the opening of the gas link was a “ridiculous and hypocritical campaign stunt” since the pipeline was not yet ready to go online. Orban hailed a project that is in fact funded using EU money, yet he has always campaigned against creating a unified European energy market, Socialist lawmaker Istvan Jozsa said in a statement.

The Fidesz-led government has delayed the project to the extent that gas will only be ready to be transported in January 2015. It was the Socialist government that prepared the ground for the project, he added.