Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó has told Hungarian M1 TV that "Europe will not ensure its energy security without nuclear energy." He was speaking in Washington DC on 26 October where he was attending the International Atomic Energy Agency International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century in Washington DC.

"Without nuclear energy, there will be no affordable energy prices in Europe, and without nuclear energy, Europe will not be able to achieve its green goals," Szijjártó said. "Fortunately, this is still a piece of cooperation between East and West, which remains to some extent untouched" by sanctions against Russia, he added.

He recalled that nuclear energy was withdrawn from EU sanctions and Hungary continues the construction project of the second stage of the Paks NPP in cooperation with Rosatom. Western companies also take part in it - the American General Electric, which is supposed to supply turbines, the French Framatome SAS and the German Siemens AG, which are developing automatic control systems for the station. Szijjártó said he recently met with Siemens management in Berlin, will hold consultations with General Electric on Wednesday in the US, and soon expects to meet Framatome representatives in France.

Image: Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó