Slovakia should provide Ukraine with additional military equipment, and Germany wants to supply it with a modern air defence system, and at the same time to reinforce its military company in Slovakia. This according to Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who made the announcement at a joint press conference after bilateral talks in Berlin. Negotiations on the supply of military systems to Ukraine between Slovakia and Germany are ongoing, but the heads of government did not want to elaborate further. "Germany wants to protect NATO and that is why we are trying to be present in its eastern part," Scholz said. The chancellor sees the provision of Patriot air defence systems to Slovakia as long-term assistance. Their presence is in no way time-limited, he said. In this context, Heger praised Germany's help in defending Slovakia's territory. Olaf Scholz confirmed that Germany will help Slovakia with gas supplies via new LNG terminals that the Germans are building on the North Sea coast. According to Eduard Heger, cooperation with other countries is very important. “Slovakia needs strong cooperation with countries that have access to the sea. I would also like to praise the perseverance and work done to secure enough terminals so that we can supply enough liquefied gas. We have such cooperation with Poland, but it is good to have more alternatives. It is therefore important to negotiate with Germany, too, on capacity via LNG terminals.”
The heads of both governments also commented on Kiev's ambitions to join the EU. Heger supports providing Ukraine with a team to help it meet the conditions for EU accession. In this connection, Scholz stressed the need for a united EU position. This was the first bilateral visit at the prime ministerial level in four years. Heger also invited the Chancellor to visit Slovakia. The Slovak Prime Minister also visited the German Council on Foreign Relations and laid flowers at the Berlin Wall Memorial.
SOURCE: TASR
