Slovakia resumes its cooperation with Russia and in the first meeting after five years, will discuss gas and oil supplies, nuclear fuel, and the status of Russian athletes.
Meeting in Moscow
This meeting has been scheduled at the request of Juraj Blanár, the Slovak Foreign Minister, following a video call with Valery Falkov, the Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education, on August 20. Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, announced that the meeting is set for November 25. Initially, the date of the meeting was mentioned in the Russian note as October 26 and 27.
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History of Cooperation
The intergovernmental commission between Russia and Slovakia had been halted since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The last meeting of this commission, the twenty-first session, took place on November 12, 2021, in Bratislava. This meeting comes as Moscow seeks to establish new relationships in the international arena.
Blanár also mentioned Slovakia's opposition to the end of Russian gas imports by the European Union during his video call and called for discussions on gas supply at the Moscow meeting. Slovak representatives have also emphasized the importance of continuing Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline and regular shipments of nuclear fuel for Slovak power plants.
Slovakia is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas, and Fico believes that ending imports will increase costs. In the meeting between the two leaders in Moscow, Putin stated that Russia will do everything possible to meet Slovakia's energy needs.
Progress in Other Areas
The agenda for the upcoming meeting is not limited to energy. The parties also intend to discuss working groups in the fields of culture, tourism, agriculture, and environmental protection, and to review the status of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Bratislava.
The Russian note referred to Blanár's opposition to what he called "discrimination against Russian athletes" in international competitions, and this issue will be discussed in the intergovernmental commission meeting. The International Olympic Committee lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee in July, stating that previous recommendations regarding restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes are no longer applicable.
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