Sutaj Estok: Slovakia Supports Schengen Extension (2)

Brussels/Bratislava, March 4 (TASR-correspondent) - The main issues discussed at Monday's session of the EU's Home Affairs Council in Brussels were developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the running of the Schengen zone in the context of illegal migration, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) declared after the talks ended. TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent in Brussels. Sutaj Estok praised the fact that two new partners have joined the Schengen zone, namely Bulgaria and Romania, and are due to abolish internal border checks at airports and ports in March. "I trust that soon they'll become our fully-fledged partners. The union is about free movement of persons and goods and if we can enlarge Schengen with member states that are ready for this - which Bulgaria and Romania are from our point of view - then we'll be glad to have them join as soon as possible," claimed the minister, who supports the efforts of both countries to abolish also land Schengen border checks. The Slovak Interior Minister underlined that Schengen is a good project, even though eight EU countries currently run border checks at inner crossings in the face of migration pressures. Sutaj Estok voiced his happiness with the fact that Slovakia fared well in the latest Schengen Eurobarometer in all categories and is perceived as a trustworthy partner in Europe. The talks were joined also by Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko via a video link, who informed his EU counterparts about measures in the sphere of migration but regular checks of weapons sent to Ukraine in the context of Russian aggression. "Ukraine today is supplied with cutting-edge military equipment. He assured us that they're doing their utmost to prevent the weapons from making their way to the black market," said Sutaj Estok. The Slovak minister added that all participants concurred that developments in the Middle East pose great challenges to the EU in terms of its security and there are concerns that new migration waves might be set into motion and head for Europe. Because of this, Sutaj Estok welcomed the EU cooperation with third countries, a policy that Slovakia perceives as a tool to address the migration issue. mf/mcs