Slovakia interested in importing Azerbaijani oil - PM
BAKU. May 8 (Interfax) - Slovakia is interested in importing Azerbaijani oil, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
"Oil is also important to Slovakia, as we are fully dependent on Russian oil. There is a large oil refinery in Bratislava. Our country is analyzing the quality of your [Azerbaijani] oil. I am not an oil expert, yet your oil is and could be an option. Thus, we should advance this project," Fico said in an interview with the Azerbaijani state-run AzTV television channel and agency AzerTac state-run news.
Slovakia may also import Azerbaijani gas, Fico said. "I'd rather not go into detail. For known reasons, Russia and Ukraine are unable to export gas to Europe. Naturally, we are interested in the delivery of large amounts of gas to Slovakia. This is a matter of about 20 billion cubic meters per year. That will make a substantial contribution to diversification of gas supply to Europe," he said.
Speaking of the Solidarity Ring project, Fico said that it would require heavy investment. "This is not a short-term solution, but a medium-term one. I mean what the Solidarity Ring could do for my country, Slovakia. Such projects should be funded by the European Union and the European Commission. Relations between Hungary and Bulgaria are complicated, and the flow is little. We are still waiting for a reply from the European Commission. I think we should consider this project from the medium-term angle. This is the reason for the idea that infrastructure in Ukraine and Slovakia could be used in the direction of Europe. We are talking about pipelines with a capacity of billions of cubic meters. Slovakia needs capacities for four to five billion cubic meters of gas, while the rest be supplied to other countries through Slovakia," he said.
As for Russian gas supply to Slovakia, Fico said that the contract between Gazprom and a Ukrainian company would expire in 2024. "As you know, the contract cannot be extended for political and military reasons. Hence, we have decided to buy gas from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani gas can be transported from the Ukrainian-Russian border. In that case, transit will amount to 20 billion cubic meters. Mr. [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev has shown interest in the project, which is a great opportunity for transit of your gas. Your president is a real manager and, of course, he is interested in benefiting from the project. Yet, clearly, there is need for negotiations and financing in this sphere, as well," Fico said.