The Czech Republic is among the biggest supporters of the EU's flagship gas project and has put energy security among its highest priorities.
"This is an absolute priority. Our partners see it in the same way, and we have agreed on this at the Visegrad Four meeting," said Topolánek, quoted by the Prague Monitor. The Visegrad four of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia gathered in Warsaw on 5 November.
Topolanek alluded to this summer's unexpected cut in oil supplies from Russia to the Czech Republic (EurActiv 31/07/08). At the time, Moscow insisted that the reductions in Russian oil deliveries to the Czech Republic were a result of technical problems, but there was widespread speculation that the cuts may have been politically motivated and linked to Prague's recent decision to host a radar that is part of the US missile shield defence system.
"During the oil crisis this year in August, when the Russian Federation stopped supplying the agreed amount and supplies decreased by 20-30 percent, we saw that the alternative of supplies via [the oil pipelines] TAL and IKL could save us," Topolanek said.
The Czech Republic, unlike some of its neighbours in central and eastern Europe, can cope without Russian crude oil thanks to the IKL pipeline, which was built in the 1990s and connects the country with the Western European pipeline system in Germany.
Hungary and its private energy company MOL are also reported to be redoubling their efforts lo launch the Nabucco project. At an earlier stage, the country's prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany called Nabucco a "distant dream", but he has since made a U-turn. Gyurcsany is now calling for a summit in Budapest to discuss the project between states and industry leaders from the Nabucco consortium countries. Possible supplier countries, transit countries and relevant international institutions would also be invited, together with the EU and the United States as political supporters of the project.
