MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Slovakia have agreed to sign new long-term contracts on Russian natural gas deliveries and gas transit via Slovakia after 2008, the Russian president said Tuesday after a meeting with his Slovak counterpart.
"The [current] agreements on Russian gas deliveries and transit via Slovak territory expire in 2008. Today we have confirmed our general agreement to sign new long-term contracts," Vladimir Putin said after a meeting with Ivan Gasparovic.
The Russian president said the sides had discussed joint efforts to expand transport infrastructure.
"Another important issue is our countries' cooperation in the nuclear energy sphere. Russian organizations are ready to get involved in modernizing and completing a number of energy facilities [in Slovakia]. A number of projects are already under way," Putin said.
Gasparovic said Slovakia and Russia have strong prospects for cooperation in nuclear engineering.
In April 1997, Russian energy giant Gazprom signed a series of agreements with Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP) under which the Slovak gas company received a discount of $5 per 1,000 cubic meters of Russian natural gas. In return, a Gazprom-Slovak joint venture was formed to transit Russian natural gas via Slovakia to the European Union.
In July 2002, the European Commission approved the purchase of a 49% stake in SPP by Gazprom, Ruhrgas and Gaz de France.
Russia said earlier this year there are no grounds to question the reliability of Russian natural gas supplies to Europe, seeking to allay concerns caused by construction of Nord Stream (the North European Gas Pipeline), which will pump Russian gas to Germany, bypassing central Europe and the Baltic States.
