Minister Blanar Holds Talks with Cameron on NATO Washington Summit in Brussels

Brussels, April 4 (TASR) - Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) held talks with his British counterpart David Cameron on the sidelines of the first day of a meeting of NATO chiefs of diplomacy in Brussels on Wednesday (April 3), TASR has learnt from the Foreign Affairs Ministry's communications department. The ministers spoke about preparations for the NATO Washington summit within the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and they also raised the issue of deepening bilateral economic cooperation. Slovakia and the United Kingdom concur in terms of interest in supporting Ukraine, but Blanar again emphasised to his British counterpart that the Slovak government will no longer provide its eastern neighbour with military aid from its army reserves, although humanitarian aid will continue. "I informed minister David Cameron about the joint session of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments due to take place in Michalovce (Kosice region) next week. We also spoke about the prospects and possibilities for ending the war in Ukraine and the impact of these scenarios on the security of Europe," said Blanar, adding that he stressed the need to seek peaceful solutions. The Slovak and British ministers highlighted bilateral economic cooperation and discussed opportunities to develop this further. The United Kingdom is the third most important destination for Slovak foreign investments, primarily in the real-estate, energy and trade sectors. There are some 160,000 Slovaks living in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, whose experience and contacts can help to intensify the activities of Slovak economic diplomacy. Blanar also praised a plan to expand the investment of British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover in Nitra with the aim of bringing new jobs to the region. ko/df