SLOVAKIA’s Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák cannot imagine that Slovakia would limit or lower the supplies of the reverse gas flow to Ukraine, the TASR newswire reported on September 11.
The statement came after reports by the Russian media that the Russian parliament might consider limiting or stopping the gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine if the information about the re-export of the Russian gas to Ukraine from the EU countries through reverse gas flow is confirmed, the TASR newswire wrote. In that event, Russia would use the reserve capacities of the North Stream pipeline.
This might cause problems with the gas supplies to Poland and Slovakia.
Both Slovakia and Poland, who have been supplying gas to Ukraine through reverse flow, have recently noted a slow-down in the flow of Russian gas. Slovakia launched the reverse gas flow to Ukraine on September 2.
Lajčák noted that limiting the reverse gas flow is not a question of political decision, but rather of “concrete contracts between companies”, he said on September 11 in Kyiv, where he met his Ukrainian counterpart Pavel Klimkin.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the current slow-down in gas supplies to Slovakia by 10 percent is not causing any problems, according to TASR.
“If the supplies were cut in higher volumes, we would have to take measures of a crisis character,” Fico said as quoted by TASR.
Fico noted that there might be a number of explanations as to the slow-down in the gas flow from Russia to Slovakia, and he wants to make sure his information is correct before he jumps into any conclusions.
“I do not need to hear propaganda or demagogy, but rather what the problem really is,” Fico said, adding that the problem might be political but also technical.
Read more at Gas flow to Slovakia slowed.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
