President: Government Doing Its Best to Curb Fuel Prices

      Bratislava, 11 March (TASR) - At this moment, the government is taking all possible steps, both domestically and internationally, to slow down the potential increase in fuel prices as much as possible, or to ensure that the increase in Slovakia is less significant than in neighbouring countries, and the cabinet has the situation fully under control for the next few days, stated President Peter Pellegrini after taking part in the government meeting on Wednesday.
        The head of state added that he's prepared to help if necessary, but he also criticised the opposition, from which he expects a constructive approach, not an attempt to misuse the situation.
        "I'm very pleased that the government is currently trying to use all technical tools to stabilise and halt extreme growth in fuel prices in Slovakia and isn't immediately resorting to the populist use of significant amounts of financial resources from the state budget," said Pellegrini, adding that the cabinet is working with Slovnaft to find common ground, with both sides trying to find a solution so that Slovakia isn't significantly affected by the rise in fuel prices.
        The head of state pointed to an unpredictable development of military conflicts, which are having a significant impact on the energy security of Slovakia and Europe as a whole. "For the first time, a war on our eastern border has started to cause serious problems for our energy security. And now we're seeing another war in the Middle East, which is starting to have a serious impact on energy security and the situation in the region," he stressed.
        Pellegrini pointed out that Slovakia has a special status regarding Russian oil imports, which stems from a decision made at the European Union (EU) level. "The suspension of oil supplies comes despite the fact that the Slovak Republic has an official EU exemption. It's been officially confirmed by the European authorities that, given its specific circumstances, the Slovak Republic may import this oil until 2027," emphasised the president, pointing to the need for all parties involved, including Ukraine, which is a transit country for oil supplies, to respect agreements and commitments.
        Pellegrini also drew attention to the need for an objective and constructive political debate on energy security issues. "When I observe the level of political debate on such strategic issues as energy security or the security of Slovak citizens, I'd expect the opposition to take a constructive approach and seek common solutions," he stressed, adding that energy security is one of the strategic issues that shouldn't be the subject of political disputes. Representatives of the relevant political parties should therefore be able to sit down at the same table and seek purely technical solutions in this area.