Energy security, gas and oil supplies, and the future of nuclear power are among the reasons Slovakia cannot ignore dialogue with Russia, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (SMER-SD) says. He has defended the decision to resume meetings of the Slovak-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic and scientific cooperation, suspended after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a written statement, Blanár said the government would continue to pursue Slovakia’s national interests and develop cooperation in areas not covered by sanctions, as other countries around the world do. In Moscow, Blanár met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov. According to Falkov, the sides agreed to step up joint working groups, resume cultural exchanges and deepen business ties after a five-year break. The war in Ukraine was also discussed in Moscow. Blanár offered Bratislava as a venue for preliminary peace talks, an option Lavrov described as acceptable.
The visit has drawn strong criticism from the Slovak opposition. MP Ján Horecký (KDH) argued that peace initiatives, research and cooperation could only develop properly in peacetime. Opposition parties also suspect energy cooperation could serve as a pretext for expanding Russia’s diplomatic presence in Slovakia. They warn this could undermine the country’s security interests and international reputation, and have announced plans to seek Blanár’s dismissal. According to Opposition MP Juraj Krúpa (SaS) the talks were not about further trade or technical cooperation, but about bringing more spies into Slovakia.
