Slovakia, Azerbaijan discussing long-term contract for gas supplies, negotiations at early stage - SPP
BAKU. March 4 (Interfax) - Slovakia is conducting negotiations with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) on long-term gas supplies, which are at an early stage, the general director of the largest Slovak oil and gas company, Slovensky plynarensky priemysel (SPP), Martin Huska said.
"Given that our company has concluded several gas supply contracts and currently has secured stable gas deliveries, negotiations with SOCAR are still at an early stage. Therefore, we do not expect any agreements to be concluded during our meetings. A key part of our company's commercial strategy is to ensure stable natural gas supplies for our customers at reasonable prices. Considering the important role SOCAR plays in the global natural gas market, we expect open negotiations with attractive offers for SPP and Slovakia," Huska said in an interview with the Azerbaijani agency Trend.
In connection with the new legislation of the European Union and the adoption of the EU regulation on the phased termination of natural gas imports from Russia, SPP is searching for new suppliers "capable of delivering the required volumes of natural gas at reasonable prices," he said.
"Given that we tested cooperation with SOCAR through a pilot project of short-term gas supplies at the end of 2024, our priority is to explore a joint approach to potential long-term natural gas supplies," he said.
One of the key directions of SPP's commercial strategy is the diversification of natural gas sources, he said.
"We consider our pilot project of short-term natural gas supplies from SOCAR to Slovakia to have been successful. It confirmed for us that SOCAR is an important business partner that can play a significant role in supplies for SPP. We would therefore certainly like to build on our previous positive experience with our Azerbaijani partner," he said.
As reported, SOCAR launched natural gas supplies to Slovakia on December 1, 2024, based on a short-term pilot contract signed on November 12, 2024. The terms of the agreement, including supply levels and their cost, were not disclosed.
At the same time, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in December 2025 that the country was ready to continue supplies to Slovakia "at any necessary time."
