During Wednesday's presidential summit of the Slavkov format (S3), the heads of state discussed mutual cooperation between Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, opportunities to improve transportation links between the countries, and innovation issues. They also addressed international challenges. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini confirmed after the meeting that Slovakia, after assuming the presidency of the S3 group this year, would be interested in organizing another summit at the presidential level next year.
"After taking leadership of the S3 group in the middle of this year, Slovakia and I personally will make an effort to organize a second summit of the Slavkov format presidents around this time next year. We aim to establish this as a permanent tradition because I believe these effective exchanges have a very specific and important meaning," said Pellegrini.
He praised the strong collaboration between the regions, which brings higher quality of life to the people. He emphasized the need to improve transportation connections between Slovakia and Austria. "Therefore, Slovakia is working to advance the D4 highway project and connect the highway network from Austria through the Carpathian Tunnel, as part of the S8 project, which would mean further connectivity," he explained. According to Pellegrini, Slovakia also aims to modernize the railway line to Austria and the Czech Republic and be part of a high-speed connection between the capitals of these countries.
The presidents also discussed cross-border cooperation in emergency medical services (EMS). Pellegrini pointed out that Slovakia's agreement with Austria has already been ratified. He hopes the Austrian side will soon complete the process so the agreement can be finalized. Cooperation with the Czech Republic is also in preparation, and the ratification process needs to begin there as well.
The leaders also addressed international issues. They agreed that ensuring security is a priority for every nation. They also recognized the need to enhance NATO's defense capabilities. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen emphasized the importance of strengthening European cooperation, which could be facilitated by the S3 format. He noted that the countries share several common interests in both multilateral and bilateral relations. He praised the high quality of cross-border cooperation between Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. He expressed confidence that in the future, the cross-border relations of these countries would become even closer.
At the summit, the presidents also met with high school students from border regions across all three countries, who were the authors of successful projects in the fields of innovation and new technologies. Czech President Petr Pavel highlighted the quality of the projects and the way the students think. He sees this as essential for ensuring that the EU does not fall behind technologically and remains competitive.
Source: TASR
