Alexey Belogoryev, Research and Development Director of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented on Business FM, why Hungary and Slovakia continue to insist on maintaining imports of Russian oil and gas:
"Bulgaria has not yet abandoned its role as a gas transit country, therefore Serbia will receive gas in the same way as in the previous few years, through the Turkish Stream and transit through Turkey and Bulgaria via the Balkan Stream. As for Hungary, both Hungary and Slovakia have a fairly consistent position: they are not ready to abandon Russian oil and gas, especially gas, due to the fact that they have no economically viable alternative. There is a theoretical possibility of gas supplies from Central Europe — Italy, Croatia, Germany, but all this is expensive. It's expensive, unreliable, and the logistics aren't built up. There is much less pressure on Serbia, because it is not a member of the EU after all, it is only a candidate for membership, and the prospects are still vague, so they pay less attention to it. And Serbia really has no full-fledged alternatives to replace Russian gas today. The position defended by the leaders of Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia is dictated by economic expediency and minimum requirements for ensuring energy security. In the next two or three years, replacement is economically and technically very difficult."
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