Slovakia resumes intergovernmental commission with Russia for the first time in nearly five years

Slovakia is resuming the work of its intergovernmental commission with Russia, which has not met since February 2022.

This was reported by Reuters, citing the country’s foreign minister, Juraj Blanár.

The first meeting of the commission will take place in Moscow on Monday, October 26. The two sides last met in this format on November 12, 2021, in Bratislava — after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the commission’s work was suspended.

The main topic of the talks will be energy. The press release from Slovakia’s foreign ministry states:

“The main topic will be energy and the possibility of cooperation in ensuring the supply of strategic resources. The Slovak side is also interested in discussing gas supplies and the continuation of oil deliveries.”

In addition to energy, the agenda may include nuclear fuel supplies, cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, agriculture, and environmental protection, as well as the status of Russian athletes at international competitions.

The intergovernmental commission is responsible for economic, scientific, and technical cooperation between the two countries. The decision to resume its work was discussed during a video conference between Blanár and the Russian side on August 20. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had previously cited November 25 as the date of the meeting, while a Russian document dated September 10 initially indicated October 26–27.

According to the Russian document, Bratislava is in favor of maintaining the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline and regular deliveries of nuclear fuel for Slovak nuclear power plants. The Slovak side has also expressed disagreement with the European Union’s gradual phase-out of Russian gas.

Under the EU plan, Slovakia is required to stop purchasing Russian gas by the end of 2027. The country’s foreign ministry states that Slovakia “continues to base its approach on EU and NATO membership and compliance with the obligations arising from that membership,” but would like to preserve space for dialogue. Foreign Minister Blanár has previously stated that the country supports dialogue with all states interested in pragmatic cooperation in the interests of the Slovak Republic. Fico, for his part, has assured that he will do everything to keep his country out of any conflict.