Putin, Fico to discuss Russia-Slovakia cooperation in various areas - Ushakov
MOSCOW. May 7 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will discuss the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation at a meeting on May 9, as the two countries support the implementation of existing agreements in areas of mutual interest, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.
Fico will visit Moscow on May 9 to participate in celebrations marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A bilateral meeting between the Russian president and the Slovak prime minister is scheduled for that day.
"We are planning to discuss the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in various areas, and exchange views on current issues on the international agenda at an upcoming meeting. Russia and Slovakia are committed to developing a constructive dialogue and stand for the implementation of existing agreements in areas of mutual interest," Ushakov said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday.
He said that Western anti-Russian sanctions are negatively affecting bilateral trade and economic relations, and bilateral trade has declined over the past four years, primarily due to EU restrictions on energy supplies from Russia.
"Russia, in turn, remains a reliable energy supplier, which makes a major contribution to improving Slovakia's energy security," Ushakov said.
He recalled the implementation of long-term agreements between Gazprom and the Slovak state-owned company SPP on Russian gas supplies, as well as the agreement between Transneft and Transpetrol on oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline. He also said that from January 27 to April 22 of this year, "Russian oil did not flow to Slovakia via this pipeline due to provocative actions by the Kiev regime."
Ushakov mentioned that on April 24, Slovakia filed a lawsuit with the EU Court of Justice against the regulation, which provides for a phase-out of Russian natural gas imports by November 1, 2027, and preparations for the halt of Russian oil imports by the end of 2027.
