Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) met with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Government Office on Sunday.
The meeting focused mainly on the current situation in the Middle East and assistance to Slovak citizens who are in the Emirates. He also announced that the first Slovak flight from Bratislava to Dubai, organized by the Defence, Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministries, is scheduled to take place on Tuesday (10 March).
At the meeting, Fico thanked the country for its assistance in organizing the evacuation of Slovaks from the region. "I welcomed the openness of the United Arab Emirates in ensuring the evacuation of Slovak citizens via UAE aircraft with the possibility of direct flights between Bratislava and Dubai," said the Prime Minister, expressing his full solidarity with the Emirates over the repeated missile attacks from Iran. During the meeting, he also presented an invitation to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to pay an official visit to Slovakia.
The Government Office added that the talks also concerned bilateral cooperation and investment projects. The Foreign Affairs Minister expressed particular interest in cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. "The premier praised the Emirates' activities in the region, which are an important stabilizing factor, and also promised Slovakia's cooperation in negotiations on the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the European Union and the Gulf countries - the Gulf Cooperation Council," he added.
The meeting with the UAE Foreign Minister was also attended by his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár, Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (both Smer-SD) and Foreign Ministry State Secretary Marek Eštok.
