Slovakia seeks agreements with the Kremlin: Foreign Minister in Moscow for energy talks
Kyiv • UNN
A Slovak delegation has arrived in Moscow for talks on energy and Russian gas. Bratislava fears arbitration claims of up to €16 billion.
A Slovak delegation headed by Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanár has arrived in moscow to participate in a meeting of the intergovernmental commission. UNN reports this, citing Deutsche Welle and the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The main topic of the talks will be Slovakia's energy security, in particular the supply of Russian gas.
"The absolute priority with which I am travelling to moscow is Slovakia's energy security," Blanár said.
Details
On Monday, October 26, the 22nd meeting of the Russian-Slovak intergovernmental commission on economic and scientific-technical cooperation will take place in moscow. The commission last met in November 2021, before the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The meeting will be co-chaired by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education valery falkov.
The aim of the meeting is to determine the scope of cooperation with russia in areas of "common interest," the ministry said. At the same time, it clarified that Slovakia's obligations within the EU would be taken into account.
The parties plan to discuss issues in energy, including nuclear energy, agriculture, environmental protection, tourism, sports and culture. Negotiations are also planned on economic cooperation in areas not covered by European Union sanctions. According to Blanár, the main priority of his visit will be Slovakia's energy security against the backdrop of the EU's decision to gradually abandon Russian gas.
In particular, the Slovak state-owned company Slovenský plynárenský priemysel (SPP) has a long-term contract with the Russian "gazprom" that runs until 2034. The agreement provides for the take-or-pay principle ("take or pay"), under which the buyer is obliged to pay for the agreed volumes of gas even if it declines to receive them.
The head of the Slovak Foreign Ministry warned that an early termination of purchases could lead to arbitration claims from russia amounting to more than €10 billion. In his estimation, potential financial claims could reach €16 billion. At the same time, Blanár stressed that the European Union is ready to provide Slovakia with legal assistance, but does not guarantee compensation for possible financial losses.
According to Russian media, Blanár is already in moscow.
The Slovak delegation was also expected to include State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy Vladimir Šimonjak and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council Marián Kéry. Experts from the Ministries of the Environment, Economy, Agriculture, Culture, Tourism and Sports are also expected. In addition, representatives of the Slovak gas industry, the Slovak state-owned joint-stock company JAVYS, the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Slovak-Russian Business Council were expected to arrive in moscow.
The Slovak minister plans to hold separate talks with russia's Foreign Minister sergey lavrov. The parties will discuss bilateral relations, economic cooperation and international issues, including initiatives to end the war in Ukraine. Blanár said that, despite condemning Russian aggression and violations of international law, Bratislava considers it necessary to maintain contacts with moscow in order to protect its national interests.