Slovenia To Step Up Talks with Gazprom on South Stream Pipeline - Media

Some issues remained open and an effort would be made "to find solutions which will be in the interest of both sides," STA quoted Lahovnik as saying.

STA said Slovenia and Gazprom have been conducting talks for several months now on the country's potential participation in the construction of South Stream, a gas pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe.

"If Slovenia's strategic interests are not considered, we will not sign the agreement," STA quoted Laovnik as saying on Friday.

"We have agreed to step up the dynamics of the talks, I, however, cannot really comment on whether an agreement will be reached or not," he added.

Slovenia is among the European countries left struggling for gas supplies by a contract dispute between Moscow and Kiev. It has been meeting domestic demand from its own reserves since Russian deliveries ceased at midnight last Tuesday.

"We expect that the supply of gas will be secured as soon as possible," Lahovnik said, adding that "this story is a lesson, teaching us that we have to decrease our energy dependence on only one source".

Slovenia therefore supports the EU's plans for a diversification of energy sources and supply routes. It views positively both the South Stream project as well as the EU-sponsored Nabucco pipeline project, Lahovnik said.

He added that potential legal action over the disrupted gas supply was not discussed at the meeting with Gazprom on Friday.