Practical cooperation is essential between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) said on Tuesday following a meeting with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky.
Blanar also praised the activity of the presidents of both countries, who, in his words, would like to strengthen relations between the Czech Republic and Slovakia and cool down the emotions related to their disruption.
"We agreed with the [Czech] minister that practical cooperation must prevail above all and we'll work on this together as much as possible and I'm glad that both presidents undertook to do so. So that the things that occur here under the pressure of emotions are no longer the dominant ones," stated Blanar.
According to him, the Czech Republic accepted Slovakia's offer to organise an event in the municipality of Topolcianky (Nitra region). It will be a Slovak-Czech forum, which, according to Blanar, should discuss the countries' bilateral relations and the ministers agreed to attend it in person. The exact date hasn't yet been set, but according to the Slovak minister, May or June is probable. Blanar also praised the Czech Republic's assistance and the extension of the protection of Slovak airspace.
The ministers also spoke about the war in Ukraine. According to Blanar: "Maybe the EU today is taken by surprise by President Trump's actions. The fact that he actively joined the search for the solution to the conflict and stated unequivocally that he'll try to end it as soon as possible... Logically, we can say that the EU had such a huge window of opportunity to initiate the peace talks but hasn't put it to any use... So, the EU is not really in the position to feel offended." Addingthat right now it is important to listen carefully to all the involved parties.
Blanar claimed that Slovakia supports any peace initiatives - whether it be those of Trump or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "We're ready to host potential lower-level peace talks... we're not familiar with all the details yet, but wish to contribute our share, in case there's interest in that from all parties involved," said Blanar. He reiterated that if the issue of sending troops to Ukraine comes up, Slovakia would not send any.
Blanar added that the stance of Slovakia differs from the Czech Republic in that Slovakia believes that any weapon supplies at this stage are counterproductive to the effort to resolve the conflict. Both ministers concurred, however, that it is unacceptable to have state borders changed by the use of force.
Lipavsky claimed that he had attempted to explain the Czech position to Blanar. He pointed out that Russia is waging various sabotage operations and a strong information war against Europe and it is necessary to resist this, which is the factor shaping the Czech foreign policy on the war in Ukraine.
It is not yet clear how the situation will play out. "But what we know for certain is that we need Ukraine to have the strongest possible position in the talks, in order to be strong and capable of defending itself," said the chief of Czech diplomacy, adding that it's necessary to continue supporting Kyiv. He refused to speculate about the sending of soldiers to Ukraine. "I exercise maximum restraint in this and don't engage in public speculation on this topic."
Source: TASR
