Pellegrini sees Russia as an important economic partner

Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini left for an official visit to the Russian Federation on Tuesday (June 4), only a month after US President Donald Trump received him at the White House. The visit takes place at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. During talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Premier Dmitry Medvedev, the Slovak Prime Minister wants to focus on topics that are essential to the Slovak economy. On the agenda are gas supplies related to the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, oil supplies, a solution to the broad-gauge railway project, and fuel supplies for Slovak nuclear power plants. As Pellegrini told TASR on Monday, Russia is an important economic partner for Slovakia. At the level of prime ministers, the representatives of both countries will sign a memorandum of co-operation on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Pellegrini stressed that Slovakia's value and economic space is the EU, while NATO is its security space. According to him, however, this doesn't prevent Slovakia from developing economic co-operation that is important to both countries. Pellegrini believes that Slovakia has one of the most open economies in the world and therefore it is important that it has balanced foreign policy relationships with all countries.