Hungary seeks Israeli gas as alternative to Russian supply

Hungary is looking to Israel and its newfound natural gas to help it shake its dependency on Russian energy, Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto told the Israeli daily (Jerusalem Post) in an exclusive interview in Tel Aviv on Friday, following a two-day visit. "Hungary is very dependent on Russian gas. We heat 80% of our houses with gas and import 90% of our gas from Russia," Szijjarto said. "Being so dependent means that you're quite defenseless." In a meeting with Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Szijjarto offered Israel access to Hungary's 7 billion cubic meters of state-owned gas storage. We could be a central European distribution hub for Israeli gas, and hope we will learn about your export strategy as soon as possible," Szijjarto said. The other fields in which he hoped to strengthen ties included water, agriculture, and innovation.