Blanar: Priority of Talks in Moscow Energy Security

Moscow, 26 October (TASR) - Ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) emphasised that Slovak-Russian relations have been and will remain pragmatic and constructive, TASR has learnt from Blanar's post on Facebook on the same day. According to him, it's necessary to maintain dialogue with Russia, with energy security being the priority of the current talks. He intends to discuss bilateral relations, economic and energy cooperation with Lavrov, as well as the war in Ukraine and the development of peace initiatives. "Slovak-Russian relations have been and will remain pragmatic and constructive. We'll continue to promote our national interests and develop cooperation in areas not affected by sanctions, just as all other countries around the world do," wrote Slovakia's chief diplomat. The Slovak delegation, led by Blanar, arrived in Moscow on Sunday (25 October) evening. In addition to the meeting with Lavrov on Monday, an Intergovernmental Commission for Economic and Scientific-technical Cooperation will convene, co-chaired by Russian Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov. The expert delegates will discuss six areas: energy, nuclear energy, agriculture, the environment, tourism, and sport and culture. According to Blanar, oil and natural gas supplies are of particular importance for Slovakia. The Slovak foreign minister warned that if the European Commission's RePowerEU legislation banning imports of Russian gas comes into force next autumn, Slovakia will face arbitration. As state-owned gas utility SPP has a contract with Russia until the end of 2034, Blanar believes that it is possible that Slovakia will have to pay compensation, with estimates putting the figure at €10 billion, rising to as much as €16 billion should costs increase further. "That's a huge amount of money. Moreover, the European Union's response was clear - should we lose the case, they won't guarantee a refund, but only legal assistance. And that's not to mention the fact that, due to compliance with European sanctions on Russian oil, the Slovak Republic is losing a further half a billion euros a year," said Blanar. am/df