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Slovakia Pursues 10-Year Gas Contract With Azerbaijan, Reducing Reliance on Russia
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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Slovakia is negotiating a minimum 10-year gas supply contract with Azerbaijan in an effort to diversify Bratislava’s energy sources, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Tomáš Taraba told the Azerbaijani news outlet Report on May 17.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Taraba stated that while Slovakia is eager to secure the long-term agreement, the primary logistical hurdle remains the transportation of resources to Central Europe.
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“The only question is how to deliver energy resources to Central Europe. That is, it’s not about whether we want to receive your energy resources, but about how to deliver them,” Taraba said, as quoted by Report, adding that officials are currently evaluating which pipelines can be utilized and at what volumes.
Slovakia was one of the European Union’s most dependent member states on Russian energy, relying on Moscow for approximately 85 percent of its natural gas imports. While Bratislava has since utilized alternative interconnectors to diversify its portfolio, the country continues to import Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline and Hungarian transit routes, according to an analysis by Visegrad Insight.
The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted Azerbaijan’s reliability as an energy partner, specifically noting Baku’s active role in maintaining supplies to Slovakia during recent transit disruptions earlier this year.
The mentioned disruptions began on January 27, 2026, when a Russian drone strike damaged infrastructure near the Brody oil hub in western Ukraine. The attack forced a total shutdown of the southern leg of the Druzhba pipeline, entirely cutting off the flow of Russian crude oil to refineries in Slovakia and Hungary for months.
Following extensive repair efforts amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Hungarian Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in April that the damaged sections had been sufficiently restored to resume operations.
Bratislava is also participating in the reconstruction of the Karabakh region, Report noted. Taraba stated that Slovakia is offering its extensive expertise in water management to assist with local infrastructure development.
Taraba characterized bilateral relations as excellent and without unresolved issues, pointing to a series of recent high-level diplomatic engagements. These include Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Slovakia in December 2025 and a recent official trip to Baku by the chairman of the Slovak National Council.
Bratislava acts to secure long-term Azerbaijani gas contracts, following supply uncertainties and diplomatic disputes over Russian energy transit through Ukraine. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár had previously stated that Slovakia would block the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Russia unless it received verifiable guarantees that the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline would resume operations.
Blanár described the position as a necessary mechanism to ensure the restoration of the oil corridor following recent disruptions.
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