Croatia to Hungary: It’s Not Our Fault You Don’t Have a Sea

Croatian President Zoran Milanović has sharply responded to Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who accused Croatia of war profiteering in the energy sector.

Speaking before the UN General Assembly, Szijjártó claimed that Croatia was exploiting the wartime situation by charging higher fees. “Unfortunately, we must admit that the Croats are exploiting us. They are profiting from the war. They continue to impose a war tax on us, since at the beginning of the conflict they increased the transit fee for the oil pipeline fivefold compared to the European standard,” Szijjártó said, adding: “We will not allow the greed of the Croats to be used against us.”

Milanović urged the authorities in Budapest to exercise more caution. “This seems to bother them a little. I think they should be more careful when talking about these things. Croatia has a coastline, it has gas infrastructure, and that infrastructure is expanding well beyond Croatia’s own needs, which means it can also serve countries that have no access to the sea. So, if they want it – we’re here,” Milanović said.

According to him, the prices offered by Croatia are reasonable. “There is no free service. We are allies, partners, and neighbors, but we will not give away our coastline to anyone,” Milanović added, as quoted by state television. | BGNES