Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD) held a telephone call with Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Tuesday, discussing further development of Slovak-Singaporean relations, Slovakia's cooperation with Southeast Asia, and current foreign policy issues.
"We greatly value our bilateral relations with Singapore and are interested in developing them further. Today, we followed up with the Singaporean minister on our April talks during the EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting in Brunei, where we discussed opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, innovation and modern technologies," Blanár declared. He also invited his Singaporean counterpart to visit Slovakia.
Singapore's foreign minister praised Slovakia's sovereign approach to foreign policy and its promotion of national positions and interests. During the call, Blanár also thanked Singapore for its support for Slovakia's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). The accession process is expected to be completed during the ASEAN summit in the Philippines in November, as part of Blanár's working trip.
Singapore's foreign minister thanked Slovakia for supporting the candidacy of Singaporean Ambassador Rena Lee for a judgeship at the International Court of Justice.
The ministers also discussed the current international situation, including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Regarding Ukraine, they agreed on the need for a peaceful solution and support for diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
Source: TASR
