President Peter Pellegrini and his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanović will closely monitor this week's talks between European leaders, with Milanović stating that the European Union faces major decisions and Pellegrini describing the agenda as very important, according to their statements after meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Tuesday.
The two heads of state also confirmed that Croatia and Slovakia enjoy friendly relations.
Pellegrini pointed out that bilateral trade has exceeded one billion euros for the second year in a row, with an increase of more than 14 percent last year. He recalled that Croatia is also a significant tourism destination for Slovaks and an important country in terms of diversifying energy sources.
"I spoke with the President about various current issues. We discussed the situation in Ukraine and the current state of negotiations between the United States, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but we also discussed what Wednesday's (17 December) meeting of the European Council will look like and what stances will be presented by the individual prime ministers or presidents of member states. The agenda of tomorrow's European Council is very important, and we'll be watching very closely how all this turns out," said Pellegrini.
He added that he had confirmed for Milanović that for Slovakia, enlarging the European Union to include Western Balkan countries is a major priority. According to Pellegrini, both heads of state also share an interest in ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Milanović likewise stated that relations between the two countries, both at the personal and institutional level, are very good. He praised the Slovak leadership, which he said uses common sense and holds firm views. He confirmed that he spoke to Pellegrini mainly about the upcoming meeting of the EU Council.
Milanović also met with Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), where they discussed in an informal spirit, current topics of European and world politics, as well as mutual cooperation between the two countries. Since Croatia is a popular holiday destination, Robert Fico thanked the Croatian President for taking care of Slovak tourists," the Government Office reported.
Source: TASR
