Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday the relationship between the Croatian INA oil company and Hungary's MOL energy group burdened relations between the two countries which, beside this problem, cooperated well.

Every time we meet with Croatian government officials, INA is on the agenda, but we always let our Croatian friends know that is strictly a business issue, not a political issue being dealt with by the Hungarian government, Szijjarto told reporters outside the Croatian government after meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

I must admit the relationship between MOL and INA or MOL and the Croatian state is a burden in our relations and we would like to get rid of this burden, but that’s up to the two companies or to the company and the Croatian state. We can only keep our fingers crossed that they come to a solution, said Szijjarto.

Advancement of the relations with Croatia on the energy front is crucial for Hungary, he said.

Energy security in this part of Europe is a critical issue. You see the relationship between Russia and Ukraine when it comes to the transit of gas, you see that Exxon and OMV still haven’t decided on the exploitation of gas fields in Romania. That’s why the LNG terminal in Croatia is one of the viable solutions for the diversification of energy sources. And since we realise that energy cooperation can’t be separated from the MOL issue, we hope for a solution to this challenge, Szijjarto said.

He arrived in Zagreb to open a new Hungarian Embassy building, saying this was a clear signal of the importance Hungary attached to relations with Croatia.

We are neighbours and our allied and strategic connection is obvious. We wish to advance and strengthen that relationship, which currently has certain shadows because of energy issues, but other than that, we cooperate as we should, Szijjarto said.

A press release from Plenkovic’s office said the two officials concluded that Croatia-Hungary relations had been enhanced in recent months. Trade exceeds EUR 2.2 billion and bilateral cooperation within the EU and NATO is very good, it added.

They underlined the importance of boosting economic cooperation, notably in energy, by taking into account supply security in all of central and eastern Europe. They also talked about the realisation of the LNG terminal project in Croatia.

Szijjarto extended Hungary’s full support to Croatia for entering the Schengen Area, and both officials said they were happy with the status and rights of the Croatian minority in Hungary and the Hungarian minority in Croatia.