Slovak minister breaks ranks to confer with Lavrov at OSCE meeting
Representatives from several countries walked out of the conference room when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke. However, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar did not follow suit. Not only did he remain in the room, but he also considered it appropriate to meet with Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry was the first to report on this previously planned meeting.
The invitation of the Russian Foreign Minister to the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Malta provoked significant controversy. Several diplomats, including delegations from Ukraine, Poland Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the Czech Republic, left the room during Lavrov's speech.
Most diplomats, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stayed during the Russian diplomat's speech. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar also stayed.
It turns out that the Slovakian minister not only listened to Lavrov's speech but also met with him. This meeting was reportedly planned to discuss Russian oil and gas supplies to Slovakia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry first reported this meeting. Later, a statement was also issued by the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Talks on oil, gas, and peace
"While we work on diversification, securing supplies at favorable prices and in the necessary quantities is important to us," declared Minister Blanar, quoted on the Slovak Foreign Ministry's profile on the platform X. According to his statement, the Russian side assured that it could meet its commitments in this area.
During the meeting with Lavrov, Blanar also reportedly called for an end to military operations, emphasizing the need to seek diplomatic solutions in line with the United Nations Charter. He also noted that "Slovakia supports international peace initiatives, including those proposed by China and Brazil."
While Blanar was meeting with Lavrov, the head of the Slovak Ministry of Economy, Denisa Saková, was holding parallel talks on gas supplies from Russia, meeting with Gazprom representatives in St. Petersburg. Saková's visit, which took place on Wednesday afternoon, was not publicly announced in advance by the Slovak Ministry of Economy.
At the NATO foreign ministers' meeting, which preceded the OSCE meeting in Malta, Blanar advocated for dialogue with Russia, a stance previously proposed by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The head of the cabinet declared that he would attend the Moscow celebrations marking the end of World War II. In January, a delegation from the Slovak parliament will visit Moscow.
Alongside Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, the Slovak foreign minister is the most frequent EU representative to meet with Lavrov.
