Azerbaijan has offered to help Slovakia secure its gas supplies as the EU moves toward a full ban on Russian energy, a shift that Bratislava warns could leave the country facing a serious shortfall.
The pledge came during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Slovakia this week, where he held meetings with National Council Chair Richard Raši, Prime Minister Robert Fico, and President Peter Pellegrini. The trip also saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding covering cooperation in foreign affairs, culture, defence, food security, and trade and industry.
Energy dominated Aliyev’s talks with Pellegrini. According to Azerbaijan’s presidential website, the Slovak president said the EU’s decision to phase out Russian gas imports had “worsened” Slovakia’s position, noting that the country sits “at the end of the pipeline.” EU energy ministers have already backed draft rules that would prohibit new Russian gas contracts from January 2026, end short-term deals by June 2026, and phase out long-term agreements by January 2028.
Slovak media reported that expert teams from both countries will now explore how Azerbaijan’s energy capacity could help fill the gap. Aliyev said his country was ready to supply Slovakia with any amount of natural gas “at any time.”
Defence cooperation was another key topic. Pellegrini pointed to Slovakia’s expanding defence industry—particularly ammunition production—as an area for deeper joint work. He proposed projects based on Slovak technology, Azerbaijani financing, and the partial relocation of manufacturing to Azerbaijan, with the goal of jointly selling finished products abroad. The two countries had already agreed to pursue joint weapons manufacturing in 2023.
