The need for cooperation was the overarching point of a two-day summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels, Prime Minister Ludovit Odor declared upon his departure from the event on Tuesday. Odor claimed that he perceived the summit as a meeting of friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time and even though they don't share the same views on all issues, they concur on attaching importance to issues such as the green transition, international law, economic investment projects, digitisation and AI.
"I've seen a genuine interest in cooperation, as we're aware that, for instance, no region can resolve climate problems on its own, without cooperation from others. Hence, the word cooperation was used quite frequently there," he claimed.
The Prime Minister confirmed that the event presented opportunities for several bilateral meetings and this option was used, on behalf of Slovakia, particularly by Slovak chief of diplomacy Miroslav Wlachovsky.
Odor held bilateral talks with several leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean behind a joint roundtable, particularly about the needs these countries face, such as digital investments or aid with the construction of hospitals. "I was mostly trying to identify potential investment opportunities for Slovakia," said Odor.
"We've got firms in the technologies business already active in the region. We're interested in finding ways to participate in mutually beneficial projects between the EU and the countries of the region," he explained, adding that he finds particularly useful the new Global Gateway investment initiative unveiled on Monday (July 17) by the European Commission. In Odor's view, Slovak firms could also take part in projects of the initiative worth €45 billion.
No conclusions on the condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine were reached by the time Odor left. According to several unnamed diplomatic sources, it was particularly Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Venezuela that blocked any strong-worded statements in this regard.
"Maybe that dispute is not about its essence of the issue but how to phrase it: some countries favour a softer language and others wish to condemn the aggression with stronger words. I called on the others that, seeing as we're meeting after an eight year hiatus and have a chance to prove that we really want to address things, we shouldn't treat it as a game of football," said Odor, alluding to football traditions prevalent in both organisations. He added that unlike in football, in which only one team can win, the summit presented an opportunity to uphold cooperation and not shoot own goals.
"I urged the others to arrive at some joint statement by the end of the day," claimed Odor.
"We concurred that a reform of international institutions is necessary, so as to reflect changes that have happened in the world over the last five or six decades, and to enable the luring of more private capital to the countries of this region," stated Odor, who emphasised that the EU and CELAC should focus more on the future rather than the past.
Source: TASR
