Slovakia will replace Russian gas with Azerbaijani gas

Slovakia plans to conclude a long-term agreement with Azerbaijan on gas supplies for at least ten years. This was stated by Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba.

"We are discussing a long-term contract with Azerbaijan for at least 10 years. Slovakia wants to diversify energy supplies, and Azerbaijan is a very reliable partner for us," he said.

According to him, the key issue is not the willingness of Bratislava to purchase Azerbaijani energy resources, but the choice of routes for their delivery to Central Europe. In this regard, the Minister noted that the parties are discussing which pipelines can be used and in what volumes.

In addition, Taraba thanked Azerbaijan for its support during supply disruptions.

"During the supply crisis, for example, from Ukraine a few months ago, your country was very active in ensuring supplies to Slovakia," the Slovak minister stressed.

Recall that the EU ban on the import of Russian gas came into force on February 3. But there is a transitional period for existing contracts. Deliveries of Russian LNG should be completely stopped from January 1, 2027, pipeline gas — from September 30, 2027. Slovakia opposed these restrictions, as it actively purchased Russian gas supplied via the Turkish Stream.