One of Gazprom's last European clients has decided to purchase gas from Azerbaijan.

Slovakia, one of Gazprom's last major clients in the European Union, is ready to sign a long-term contract with Azerbaijan for the purchase of natural gas, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment Tomáš Taraba. "We are discussing a long-term contract with Azerbaijan, for at least 10 years. Slovakia wants to diversify its energy supplies, and Azerbaijan is a very reliable partner for us," Taraba said.

According to him, the main problem is the supply of resources from the Caucasus to Central Europe, but the parties are currently discussing "which pipelines can be used and in what volumes." Taraba also thanked Baku for its support during the disruption of Russian gas imports. "During the supply crisis, for example, from Ukraine several months ago, your country was very active in ensuring supplies to Slovakia," Taraba said.

Previously, Martin Huska, CEO of SPP, Slovakia's largest oil and gas producer, said Slovakia was negotiating a long-term gas contract with Azerbaijan's SOCAR. He noted that Bratislava had begun searching for new suppliers "capable of delivering the necessary volumes of natural gas at reasonable prices" in light of the phased cessation of gas imports from Russia. Azerbaijan had already launched gas supplies to Slovakia in 2024 under a pilot contract. The terms of the agreement, including export volumes and prices, were not disclosed.

Slovakia and Hungary remain the last EU countries directly purchasing Russian gas. Until January 1, 2025, they received the fuel via transit through Ukraine, but after that transit was halted, gas began flowing through the Turkish Stream pipeline. Last September, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the country receives approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year. After meeting with Fico in May of this year, Vladimir Putin promised that Moscow would "do everything to meet the energy needs of the Slovak Republic."

Last year, Gazprom's supplies to the European market fell to 18 billion cubic meters—the lowest level since 1973. Compared to 2024 levels, export volumes are down 44% and more than tenfold compared to pre-war peaks.

On February 3, a ban on Russian gas imports came into effect in the EU, but a transition period is provided for existing contracts. LNG supplies are to be completely stopped on January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas supplies on September 30, 2027. Slovakia opposed these restrictions. Fico called the EU's plan to wean itself off Russian gas "shooting itself in the knee." In late April, Bratislava filed a lawsuit in the EU Court of Justice against the ban on Russian gas imports.

source: The Moscow Times https://archive.is/XiBz1