Slovakia attends “kitchen of world politics” in Munich

Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák took part in the Munich Security Conference, taking place on February 12-14. With representatives from 120 countries attending, it is one of the most important global forums for debate on security policy. According to Miroslav Lajčák, it is "sort of a kitchen of world politics, which involves all the relevant actors". This year it was dominated by the topics of Syria, the fight against terrorism and the Islamic State, as well as relations with Russia. "From the speeches given by the representatives of Russia and the United States one can still feel their different perception of world problems," commented Minister Lajčák on the main Saturday debate. In regard to Slovakia, Lajčák finds it important that the conference included a discussion about the Nord Stream 2 project, which Slovakia opposes as it indicates a risk of increasing the dominance of Russia in the European gas market. During his stay in Munich, in addition to participating in the main discussions, Lajčák attended a dozen bilateral meetings.