SaS: Reciprocal Measures Against Ukraine Would Hurt Slovakia's Economy (2)

Bratislava, January 9 (TASR) - Lawmakers of the opposition's SaS party criticise statements made by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at his talks with representatives of the European Commission on Thursday in Brussels regarding the termination of Russian gas supplies through Ukrainian territory, pointing out that the government had ample time to secure alternative transit routes and if reciprocal measures against Ukraine were to be taken, the pain would be felt by Slovakia alone. "It's quite unacceptable to have Robert Fico say, a day before the meeting with the European Commissioner for Energy, that Russia is a reliable partner," said SaS chair Branislav Groehling, who thinks that the Prime Minister went into the meeting influenced by Moscow's rhetoric. SaS team leader for energy Karol Galek underlined that Ukraine didn't arbitrarily withdraw from the contract with Russia on the gas transit, but a five-year contract between the two countries properly ran its course and expired. The priority of the Slovak Government should have been to secure other gas supply routes to Slovakia before the deal expired at the turn of the year. As for the reciprocal measure to stop the supplies of electricity to Ukraine, Galek claimed that the consequences would be borne mostly by Slovak inhabitants. "If electricity to Ukraine stops flowing through Slovakia, then the electricity price for Slovaks will go up. This I say with utmost seriousness," warned Galek. That is because profits from the electricity supplies to Ukraine go to Slovak producers and SEPS distributor company. "If we lose these capacities, we won't have the finances brought by them on one hand and on the other will also need to compensate the suppliers to whom these capacities have already been sold," he added. mf/mcs