SaS: Slovakia Could Sue Russian Gazprom for Millions Over Contract Breach

Bratislava, February 27 (TASR) - Slovakia could potentially sue Russian Gazprom for millions of euros, similar to the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany, but there is currently no indication that the SPP plans to file a lawsuit against Gazprom for failing to deliver the agreed gas volumes to Slovakia, the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stated on Thursday. While the state-owned SPP and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) take no action, Czech energy company CEZ has secured €40 million from Gazprom, stressed SaS. The opposition party called on the Economy Ministry, which is the sole shareholder of SPP, to take appropriate legal action against the repeatedly condemned and untrustworthy partner. "If the SPP, as a state-owned company, doesn't sufficiently seek compensation for the damages caused by Gazprom and continues to be caused by the failure to deliver gas, it will be harming the interests of the Slovak Republic and its citizens," said SaS MP Karol Galek. SaS explained that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal ruled in favour of the CEZ's lawsuit against Gazprom for reducing gas supplies. As a result, Gazprom is required to pay the Czech energy company compensation of €40 million. Similarly, in the past, the German company Uniper and the Austrian OMV also succeeded, SaS added. "Gazprom hasn't been delivering the agreed quantities to SPP since January, according to the contract valid until 2034. Although supplies were partially restored in February, they're still insufficient to cover the agreed volumes," stated the opposition party. lin/mcs/ko