Meeting of Prime Minister Heger and Austrian chancellor

Slovakia wants to get rid of its dependence on Russian fuel for nuclear power plants, said Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger during a visit to Austria on Monday. He said the government has been negotiating with alternative suppliers for several months. At a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Heger said that Ukraine's victory in the fight against Russia is in the interest not only of Slovakia, but also of the whole of Europe. Austria, according to Nehammer, does not intend to follow Sweden and Finland, which have reconsidered their military neutrality in the light of the Russian invasion and are seeking to join NATO. He added that Austria is committed to the European Union's common foreign and security policy and also plans to invest more in its own defence. Heger highlighted the quality of bilateral relations between Slovakia and Austria, describing them as "friendly, correct and deepening". He thanked Austria for adopting a law on retroactive payments of family allowances to citizens of other EU-member states working in Austria, as this also applies to Slovak citizens.