PRAGUE, March 31. /TASS/. The European Commission should stop playing politics with the Druzhba oil pipeline, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said following consultations between Slovak and Czech cabinets.
"I’m asking why they won’t reopen the Druzhba pipeline? It doesn’t make sense because we have a simple way of ensuring sufficient oil supplies to Europe. This sufficient amount of oil would help stabilize the situation not only in Slovakia and Hungary, which have suffered the most [from the shutdown of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline], but also in the entire Central Europe," Fico pointed out. "I once again urge the European Commission to stop playing political games," he added.
The Slovak premier called on the European Commission "to stop pretending that it’s unable" to persuade Vladimir Zelensky to grant an expert group access to the Druzhba pipeline in order to restore its operation. Fico noted that "the European Commission should not prioritize the interests of countries that are not EU members."
According to Fico, the Slovak-Czech intergovernmental consultations paid special attention to energy security issues facing Central Europe. He also emphasized the need to focus on maintaining peace and combating illegal immigration.