Fico: Von der Leyen and I Agree That Druzhba Oil Transit Must Be Resumed (2)

Bratislava/Paris, 10 March (TASR) - The government shares the same view as European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen on oil transit through the Druzhba oil pipeline — if the pipeline is damaged, it must be repaired and oil deliveries restored, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on social media after meeting the EC chief during a nuclear energy summit in Paris on Tuesday. "Above all, we spoke about the need to restore the transit of Russian oil through the territory of Ukraine to Slovakia. I'm pleased that we share the same view as the European Commission," said Fico. The prime minister showed satellite images to the EC president that he said prove that the pipeline isn't damaged. He reiterated that Slovakia is offering repair capacities. "I welcomed the information from the president of the European Commission that the Commission is also offering not only capacities to repair it, if necessary, but financing for this repair project as well," added Fico. The Slovak prime minister also discussed the upcoming summit in Brussels with the EC president. He expects proposals for reducing electricity prices to be adopted. "During her speech at today's summit, the Commission president also stressed that this is the most pressing problem of the entire European Union and of the whole of European industry," he stated. The prime minister underlined that concrete proposals must be adopted, not just general phrases. Fico addressed the nuclear energy summit as well. He described the decision in 2008 to complete additional units at the Mochovce nuclear power plant as forward-looking, noting that when the fourth block is launched, Slovakia will be able to export electricity to a greater extent. In addition, he informed the participants about preparations to construct another unit at Jaslovske Bohunice in cooperation with US company Westinghouse Electric Company, and he touched on the diversification of nuclear fuel supplies for reactors of Russian design. According to him, any change of fuel must be carried out very carefully with regard to nuclear safety. The prime minister's programme also included participation in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Slovak company VUJE and France's Framatome. "As far as future cooperation is concerned, this is another significant step in raising the profile of the Slovak Republic in the world," said the prime minister. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final five paragraphs mf/df