Slovakia to continue cooperation with Russia in industry and energy

Energy, industry, transport infrastructure, agriculture and military equipment represent the key areas in which Slovakia wants to continue its cooperation with Russia, Vice-premier for Investments Lubomir Važny and Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov concurred at the session of intragovernmental committee for economic and science-technology cooperation in Bratislava on Wednesday. The volume of mutual trade between Bratislava and Moscow reached €7 billion last year, which represents a year-on-year drop by 20 percent, according to the Statistics Office. Slovak exports stood at €2.1 billion, whereas imports equalled €4.9 billion. The Slovak side expressed its concerns over reductions in daily supplies of Russian gas to Slovakia between September 2014-March 2015. Both countries expressed their will to continue the long-term cooperation in reliable gas supplies to Slovakia and the transit of gas through Slovak soil. Russian officials confirmed its interest to participate in the construction of new nuclear power plant blocks in Slovakia as well as to extend the lifetime of Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear reactors, increase their power output, modernise, maintain and repair its systems and supply equipment for the existing nuclear blocks. They offered Slovak industrial companies the option to become residents of the economic free zone in the Astrakhan region and pointed out to the interest of firms from Sverdlovsk Oblast to supply equipment and materials of various kinds to Slovakia and modernise train coaches and distribution networks.