Sunday’s Zaman
11 October 2009, Sunday
Hungarian FM Balazs: No turning back from Nabucco
The Hungarian foreign minister argued that the economic recovery is
well on track and said the government has taken all necessary steps,
in line with international partners such as the International Monetary
Fund and the European Central Bank.
We have reached critical mass on the realization of the Nabucco
Pipeline project — a natural gas pipeline connecting Caspian reserves
to the Central and Eastern European markets — and there is no turning
back from this project, a top Hungarian diplomat declared on a visit
to Turkey on Friday.
In an exclusive interview with Sunday’s Zaman, Hungarian Foreign
Minister Peter Balazs said he expects more and more source countries
to come forward with the capacity to add natural gas supplies to the
projected pipeline once it is built. `You can’t simply calculate the
load of traffic on a highway without first building it,’ he said,
stressing that many questions hovering over the feasibility of the
pipeline have vanished, especially after the signing of the Nabucco
agreement back in July.
Hungary and Turkey, along with Austria, Bulgaria and Romania, are
partners in the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project. The prime
ministers of the these countries signed a deal in Ankara to allow the
pipeline to transit their countries, linking Europe to gas resources
in Central Asia and the Middle East. Balazs concedes that much remains
to be resolved in details of the financing side. `I am confident and
very optimistic that we’ll see through the completion of this
pipeline,’ he added.
Touching on Turkey’s bid to become a member of the European Union, the
Hungarian foreign minister said, `We are in favor of an enlargement in
general and ready to share our expertise with Turkey on the road to
fulfilling its obligations as a candidate country.’
`We have an excellent team of people who are experts on EU affairs and
maintain an institutional experience when it comes to dealing with EU
negotia
ding border protection systems in line with EU requirements and issues
such as dealing with the environment, noise levels at airports and
sewage systems in small villages as examples of areas where Hungary
can help Turkey.
Asked whether he thinks Turkey will become a member even if it
fulfills all criteria laid out in its accession chapters, Balazs said
he is sure Turkey, as a great country, will be a full member of the
EU. `The important thing,’ he said, `is to finish your homework and
fulfill all criteria on technical fields.’ He added a caveat, however,
noting that the full membership decision partly depends on how the
bloc will shape itself in the future. Balazs signaled that the EU
bureaucracy is becoming increasingly cumbersome and commented that the
principle of unanimity should be reformed and limited to only a few
important areas.
The Hungarian foreign minister did not find a receptive audience in
the Turkish capital for his country’s bid for a non-permanent seat on
the UN Security Council in 2012-2013, simply because Turkey has
already pledged its support to ethnically close, Turkish-speaking
Azerbaijan. `We perfectly understand Turkey’s engagement and
obligations,’ Balazs said, adding that Turkey signaled it may lend its
support to Hungary in event the Azerbaijani bid cannot secure enough
votes in the first round.
Excellent relations with Turkey
Commenting on the Turkish government’s recent democratization
initiative aimed at solving its long-standing Kurdish problem, Balazs
expressed his appreciation for Turkey’s efforts. `I can understand the
sensitivities over the problem, and I think it is a move in the right
direction,’ he remarked. He congratulated Turkey on another
initiative, namely the normalization of its relations with Armenia,
and described it as `a decisive step in the right direction.’
`The historical past and the present need to be separated,’ he
underlined, adding, `Let’s leave the history to historians and not mix
it into current politics.’ He expressed
two sides have all the assets in place to solve the problem and
encouraged the parties to keep the dialogue moving forward on the
solution.
Balazs described Hungary’s relations with Turkey as `excellent’ but
noted both sides need to work on making institutions function
better. `We have the structure on cooperation already in place,’ he
said, stressing that more meetings between high-level government
officials should be held to promote ties.
Turkey and Hungary currently have about $2 billion euros in trade
volume, a figure the minister described as sizable but not nearly
enough. `It could be much more, as Turkey is a big market by itself,’
he said. He explained that once the Hungarian economy gained more
stabilization and Turkey’s EU bid moved in a more promising direction,
trade volume would rise substantially. `Turkey can be a gateway to a
wider region for Hungarian business,’ he underlined.
There are already signs that Hungary is laying the groundwork for that
expansion. During Balazs’ visit, Hungary announced that it will open
an honorary consulate in Gaziantep, a major industrial city in the
south of Turkey. `Konya, another big city in the heartland of Turkey,
will be next,’ Balazs revealed, confirming the widely held view among
the Hungarian business community that Turkey can act as a stepping
stone to further markets to the south.
The top Hungarian diplomat also called on Turkish businesses to take
advantage of a huge export surplus in his country. `It is very
important for Turkish firms to seize the opportunity, which is valued
at several hundred million dollars,’ he said. The country’s current
account posted a quarterly surplus of 476 million euros last month,
versus a deficit of 1.55 billion euros a year earlier. Balazs also
noted that Hungary is a very friendly country for foreign investors
and that the government is working hard to ease bureaucratic
procedures for international investors.
Economy is well on track for recovery
The Hungarian foreign minister argued that the
rack and said the government has taken all necessary steps, in line
with international partners such as the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the European Central Bank. Hungary became the first EU
member last year to seek international aid — a $25.1 billion IMF-led
rescue package that prevented a financial meltdown. Despite the
rescue, however, the country’s economy will shrink by some 6.7 percent
in 2009 and 0.9 percent in 2010, due to deep spending cuts to contain
the budget deficit and collapsing demand in both domestic and external
markets.
Balazs is optimistic that the Hungarian economy is gaining the
confidence of international investors, yet conceded that the budget
deficit will still exceed EU criteria next year, amounting to 3.8
percent of gross domestic product (GDP). He said the economy hopefully
will pick up speed afterwards. He stressed that the country has gained
currency stability and that the Treasury can now finance itself in
international markets.
The fact that international investors continue to invest in Hungary is
another sign indicating that the country is moving in the right
direction. Balazs mentioned that Daimler, the world’s second-biggest
luxury car maker, is planning an 800 million euro investment to build
a manufacturing plant in Hungary. Daimler’s new plant, to be built in
Kecskemet, about 80 kilometers southeast of Budapest, will employ
2,500 workers. Audi, a German premium car maker, also has a plant in
Hungary and is one of the country’s biggest exporters.
11 October 2009, Sunday
ABDULLAH BOZKURT ANKARA