Slovakia says sees drop in Russian gas shipments due to technical reasons

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Slovakia is working with information that a reduction in shipments of Russian natural gas through Ukraine in the past week have been caused by technical problems, Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis said on Wednesday. "For the time being we are working with information that there is a technical problem with supplies," Pavlis told a news conference in Bratislava. He said Slovakia had reserves and reverse flow arrangements that would secure uninterrupted supplies for over six months in case shipments via Ukraine stop. Slovak gas importer SPP has seen a 10-25 percent cut in daily shipments versus requested amounts in the past week. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka)