Next year Hungary is going to preside over the EU. What are the tasks Budapest has set itself in this connection? Why does Hungary pay so much attention to energy security and consider the project Nabucco to be so important? How does our south-western neighbor see the prospects of the Eastern Partnership and relations with Kyiv? These questions were tackled in a special interview with Mihaly BAYER, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Hungary to Ukraine, who worked as an ambassador-at-large and was responsible for the Nabucco pipeline project and Hungary’s energy security.
Mr. Ambassador, in a recent interview about Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, your foreign affairs minister said, “We need to find Europe’s true soul,” which allegedly was somewhere near, but tended to disappear on occasion. How does Hungary see “the soul of Europe”?
“I think our minister spoke allegorically. I cannot comment on his statements, but for myself I can say that Hungary is a valid member of the European Union. We are interested in expanding and extending the EU from the viewpoint of its future and its economic and political strength. Hungary is very active in supporting the eastern expansion of the EU. Of course, certain current processes in Europe are not favorable for this expansion, because we have come to face our own economic and financial challenges. We still need to ‘digest’ the [previous] big round of expansion, which is much more complicated in conditions of the economic crisis. However, our standpoint remains unmoved. In my opinion, all this makes up our understanding of the ‘soul of the EU.’ We believe that Europe is not confined to our borders alone. We in Hungary consider rather big neighboring territories to be absolutely European countries.”
Starting next year, your country is going to preside over the EU, and it offers quite an ambitious program. However, certain European diplomats warn that Brussels expects a competent presidency, rather than an ambitious one. What will you say to this?
“Observers are fond of making hasty assessments. Personally I think that the right time for it will be in late June or early July. I can say that Hungary has its own ambitions. But they are not just ours, because our presidency affects the EU, rather than a single country. We get a legacy of problems from the previous presidency. Meanwhile, we are going to tackle the issues of energy security, the Danube strategy, and the Roma problem.
“Also, our country will be responsible for the organizing (and partly, for the preparing) of the Eastern Partnership summit meeting. In this work, we want to be professional, show initiative, and serve the EU’s goals. I would like to emphasize that our presidency program is fully supported by EU members and the leadership of the European Commission and the EU Council.”
Coming back to Nabucco: do you think this project is a promising one? Russia calls it a “political” project, while it calls South Stream “commercial.” In particular, that’s how it was dubbed by the member of the Russian Duma, Leonid Grigoriev.
“You will understand me if I do not comment on Mr. Grigoriev’s statement. I worked on this question quite extensively and profoundly, representing the Hungarian government. I traveled from Ashgabat to Washington, D.C., from Oslo to Bagdad, and from Ankara to Brussels. My role was to contact all the players that might influence this process, and help promote the Nabucco project. Hungary has played its role here.
“Speaking of Nabucco, it’s not just a project, it’s a symbol. It’s project No.1 in significance, capacity, and potential impact on the European energy market. It can open a southern energy corridor for the EU. I think that the EU simply cannot afford having no ties with neighboring countries where gas can be produced and bought — both from the viewpoint of its energy security and commercial interests. For us, Turkey, Iraq, and Azerbaijan are neighbors in this exact sense.”
So how is this project different from the South Stream?
“For the implementation of Nabucco the company Nabucco Pipeline International was created. It incorporates seven private companies which are going to spend money at their own risk. It is a purely commercial project. Also, Nabucco will be built as a trunk gas pipeline, and will provide a possibility for transferring gas. Its implementation will be a great success, as a new corridor for gas supplies will be open (and maybe, for oil as well). This will considerably raise the EU’s energy security.”
Can you see any clear support for the Nabucco on the part of the EU? Our minister Yurii Boiko recently visited Brussels and said that Ukraine was waiting for the EU leadership to make a clear statement concerning this pipeline.
“Our standpoint is absolutely clear. The EU wholly supports the Nabucco project, both politically and financially. The banks I mentioned above are European banks, and the EU has an influence on their activities. At the same time, the European Commission totally supports Nabucco. There should be no doubts as to the EU’s standpoint concerning it. This project is an absolute priority within the work on the South Corridor.”
I can quote our minister: “If the Nabucco project is a priority, why then are certain EU countries corporative participants in the construction of the South Stream? We cannot understand our partners’ motivation, and Ukraine must see the prospects for its Gas Transport System.”
“The South Stream is a somewhat different story. Kyiv must not forget that in 2006 there was a serious crisis, albeit a short one. Also, the outcomes of the gas crisis of 2009 should be kept in mind. So the European countries began to look for a possibility to secure gas supplies in case of a conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Practically, the very idea of the South Stream was born after the first crisis between Kyiv and Moscow. In any case, the masters of this project are Italy and Russia, and not our countries.”
Is it profitable for Hungary to take part in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian Gas Transport System? The Ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary spoke about such a possibility in one of the interviews with The Day.
“We have built quite a powerful structure of gas pipelines via which Russian gas can be transferred from Ukraine to southern Europe. And we are interested in making this system work. We are generally interested in Ukrainian stability, in the upgrading of your economy, including the upgrading of the Ukrainian GTS in the framework of co-operation between Ukraine, the EU, and Russia. We have companies which deal in the construction and upgrading of major energy routes. I think they also might participate in the upgrading of Ukraine’s GTS, should such a project be developed, and a tender announced. We are completely prepared to take part in the upgrading of the Ukrainian GTS.”
Could you explain in detail the words of your prime minister, who said during his visit to Kyiv, “There are great opportunities for co-operation between a stable Ukraine, the neighbor of a stable Hungary?”
“At those talks our prime minister spoke very clearly, to the effect that now Hungary has a stable government, backed by more than two thirds of MPs. He compared this with the situation here after the presidential election. It means that Ukraine, too, has a leadership which has an opportunity to make various steps in cooperation with its partners. We were very pleased that both parties had expressed enthusiasm to develop our mutual cooperation at a rapid pace.
“Unfortunately, over the recent couple of years the rates of our mutual cooperation have somewhat slowed down. The crisis has also influenced commercial turnover. We think that if Ukraine succeeds in stabilizing its economy, as well as its social and political life, it will boost our relations.”
Only half a year ago many ambassadors asked which way Ukraine was going, thus showing doubts about our government’s policies concerning European integration. What do you think about the course taken by our country?
“I think Ukraine is moving towards the strengthening of its national sovereignty, its statehood and independence. We respect and support it. We are only interested in the quality of this process. As our prime minister mentioned, you can only have an effective and successful cooperation with a stable partner. I think Ukraine has an opportunity of purposefully moving in this direction.
“We are interested in the preservation and intensification of the achievements in the realm of democratic liberties, NGO activities, and observance of freedom of speech. At the same time, there should be an effective and stable economy, a stable political life, and an active state apparatus. These expectations proceed from Ukraine’s desire to join the EU. This is only possible in case of the acquisition of those methods and rules of political and economic social life which are accepted in the EU. We do not think that Ukraine can make it in one step. We will back Ukraine’s wish to join the EU and expect that it will perfect its regulations and laws in accordance with this goal.”
How will you spend your time in Kyiv?
“Oh, do I have spare time? This is my fifth mission as an ambassador. This time it was an unusual assumption of office. On November 12, our prime minister arrived here on a visit. On November 22-23 I accompanied the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada to Budapest. During that week there was our president’s visit to Ukraine. And in the meantime I’m trying to handle concrete issues which have to be settled in connection to the mutual questions and preparation of those visits.
“So I still haven’t had time to start a standard ambassador’s life. I think that my debut was not at all bad for an ambassador, but still, I would like to have begun it in a more formal way. It is still necessary to introduce myself and establish contacts in the diplomatic corps, state apparatus, and parliament. I’m seriously preparing for this. But, unfortunately or fortunately, I will only be able to start this kind of work after the New Year’s Day.”
