EU sanctions package 'cleared'; long fight 'was worth it' - Szijjártó 

EU

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Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said the European Union's sixth package of sanctions against Russia has been "cleared" in a post on Facebook on Thursday, adding that Hungary's fight for an exemption for pipeline deliveries from an oil embargo "was worth it", according to a report by state news wire MTI.

"We fought a long battle, but it was worth it. It was worth standing up to the pressure, going against the mainstream that demanded we give up our national interests, and enduring the lying accusations of a number of European politicians and journalists," Szijjártó said.

"It was worth it because with the exemption for pipeline deliveries, we could protect the security of Hungary's energy supply. If we wouldn't have fought, Hungary's crude supply would have been made impossible and the economy would have ground to a halt," he added.

Szijjártó also acknowledged that Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, had been removed from a list of sanctioned individuals.

"For us, this was a matter of principle, because - similar to national interests - we insist on freedom of religion," he said.

"It's bad even to ponder what processes would have been put into play if the leader of one of the most important European Christian churches had been included on the sanctions list," he added.

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