Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zarubova on Explosives Near Serbia Gas Pipeline: Someone Aims to Strip Hungary of Sovereignty
¬ Hungarian Foreign Minister: Attempt to Blow Up Gas Pipeline in Serbia Constitutes an Attack on Hungary's Sovereignty
¬ Hungarian Prime Minister Convenes National Defense Council Meeting Following Discovery of Explosives Near Serbia Gas Pipeline
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Sputnik News, Moscow, April 5 — Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the discovery of explosives near the gas pipeline connecting Serbia and Hungary, stating that someone is attempting to deprive Hungary of its sovereignty, but Budapest has pushed back.
Zakharova said: "They want to take away Hungary’s sovereignty. They are using various means: political interference—trying to meddle in internal affairs and elections; economic pressure—forcing decisions detrimental to Hungary’s economy and well-being; energy manipulation—attempting to block Hungary’s access to high-quality, affordable resources."
She added: "But Budapest has consistently responded. Then they switched to a military script, testing their strategy with cases like Nord Stream 1 and 2."
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Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that Hungary views the attempt to sabotage the Russian gas pipeline running through Serbia—supplying gas to Hungary—as an infringement on national sovereignty.
Previously, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Sunday that he had spoken with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and informed him about the discovery of explosives near the Serbia-Hungary gas pipeline transporting Russian natural gas. Orbán convened an emergency National Defense Council meeting on Sunday.
In a video statement posted on his Facebook page, Szijjártó said: "The explosives discovered by Serbian authorities are powerful enough to destroy the 'TurkStream' pipeline. We firmly reject this latest violation of our sovereignty. Attacking our energy security can only be interpreted as an attack on sovereignty."
The minister noted that this incident is linked to a series of events over recent weeks. Previously, Ukraine imposed an oil blockade on Hungary, followed by attempts involving dozens of drones to attack the 'TurkStream' pipeline within Russian territory, aiming to impose a complete energy blockade on Hungary.
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Sputnik News, Budapest, April 5 — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that he convened an emergency National Defense Council meeting on the afternoon of April 5, following the discovery of explosives near a natural gas pipeline in Serbia transporting Russian gas to Hungary.
Earlier on the same day, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he had called Orbán to inform him about the discovery of explosives near the gas pipeline linking Serbia and Hungary, which carries Russian natural gas.
Orbán wrote on social media platform Facebook (banned in Russia as an extremist site): "Serbian authorities found a powerful explosive device and its detonation mechanism near the most critical gas infrastructure connecting Serbia and Hungary. An investigation is currently underway. I have convened an emergency National Defense Council meeting this afternoon."
Source: sputniknews
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861645156635660/
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