Hungary seeks US sanctions waiver for Russian-led nuclear project
Hungary has asked the USA to exempt the project for the expansion of the nuclear power plant in Paks, carried out by the Russians, from the sanctions imposed by the previous American administration, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó stated on Thursday.
Szijjártó reported this during Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who visited Budapest on Thursday.
The government has requested the exemption of the Paks II project from sanctions imposed by the previous US administration out of political vendetta, which are hindering the project's implementation, said the minister at a press conference.
The discussions on this topic were supposed to occur during his visit to Washington last week.
Szijjártó also stated that Viktor Orbán's government plans to extend the operation of the current four power plant units by another 20 years.
"The expansion of the nuclear power plant is crucial for Hungary's energy security, so the project is continuing despite ongoing difficulties and obstacles," Szijjártó wrote on Facebook on Thursday, providing information about a phone conversation with Alexey Likhachev, the head of Rosatom.
On Thursday, Advocate General of the European Court of Justice Laila Medina stated that the court should rule against Hungary’s state aid for the construction of new reactors at the nuclear power plant in Pakistan.
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