Slovakia updates Austria on energy crisis

Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ján Kubiš made a short visit to Vienna on January 15 to meet his Austrian counterpart, Michael Spindelegger, and discuss the current gas and energy crisis, the TASR newswire wrote. Kubiš informed Spindelegger of the critical situation caused by disrupted supplies of Russian gas. According to Kubiš, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Kiev and Moscow on January 14 showed that Slovakia is doing its utmost to have the supplies renewed. Kubiš assured Spindelegger that Fico's intention to restart one of the V1 reactor blocks at the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant would only be carried out in an extreme emergency and only after taking all possible measures to ensure the safe operation of the Slovak energy system. This would be restricted to the shortest possible time and Slovakia would allow the whole restarting process to be monitored by an international group of experts. Spindelegger will present Kubiš's statements to Austria's Safety Council at a meeting on January 19. This meeting demonstrates Slovakia's readiness and interest in handling this complicated situation transparently, the ministry's spokesman Ján Škoda told TASR. Kubiš confirmed that Slovakia will keep Austria, the EC, the EU presidency and its other partners informed in advance of all moves.

Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ján Kubiš made a short visit to Vienna on January 15 to meet his Austrian counterpart, Michael Spindelegger, and discuss the current gas and energy crisis, the TASR newswire wrote. Kubiš informed Spindelegger of the critical situation caused by disrupted supplies of Russian gas. According to Kubiš, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Kiev and Moscow on January 14 showed that Slovakia is doing its utmost to have the supplies renewed.

Kubiš assured Spindelegger that Fico's intention to restart one of the V1 reactor blocks at the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant would only be carried out in an extreme emergency and only after taking all possible measures to ensure the safe operation of the Slovak energy system. This would be restricted to the shortest possible time and Slovakia would allow the whole restarting process to be monitored by an international group of experts. Spindelegger will present Kubiš's statements to Austria's Safety Council at a meeting on January 19.

This meeting demonstrates Slovakia's readiness and interest in handling this complicated situation transparently, the ministry's spokesman Ján Škoda told TASR. Kubiš confirmed that Slovakia will keep Austria, the EC, the EU presidency and its other partners informed in advance of all moves.

Top stories

Stock image.

Twice as many Ukrainians work in Slovakia now than before the Russian invasion.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad