Foreign Ministers Lajčák and Lavrov discuss bilateral relations

Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss bilateral Slovak-Russian relations, Slovakia's upcoming Presidency of the European Council as well as current foreign policy matters. As the meeting took place only a day after Russia's celebrations of the victory over fascism in WWII (May 9), Lajčák stressed that Slovakia hasn't forgotten the role that the people of the former Soviet Union played in the country's liberation. Lajčák said that Slovak-Russian relations have been good for a long time, although they're currently affected by the negative atmosphere in relations between the EU and Russia. "EU-Russia relations are going through a complicated stage, and that's why we discussed how we could promote further cooperation and communication. The Iran nuclear deal facilitated by the USA, Russia and the EU is proof that this can happen," stated Minister Lajčák, adding that Russia is a very important global player. The two officials also spoke about the situation in eastern Ukraine, the implementation of the Minsk Protocols, the migration crisis, the conflict in Syria and the proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline.