Kmec: Slovakia Interested in Participating in Reconstruction of Ukraine

London, July 18 (TASR) - Slovakia is interested in actively participating in the reconstruction of Ukraine, said Vice-premier Peter Kmec, who will take part in the summit of the European Political Community (EPC) at Blenheim Palace in the United Kingdom on Thursday, Olga Dubravska of the National Implementation and Coordination Authority has told TASR. Ukraine is high on the agenda of the opening plenary session of the summit. "We're preparing a system of financial support for our entrepreneurs with the aim of engaging them in restoration and reconstruction projects," said Kmec. He emphasised the importance of building trading partnerships between countries and regions and the need to map out the potential of Slovak companies, the needs on the Ukrainian side and to find common denominators. "As a country neighbouring Ukraine, Slovakia has an important position as a bridge between Ukraine and the EU, and therefore our goal is to support connectivity, especially via investments in infrastructure and energy in eastern Slovakia," stated Kmec, adding that Slovakia's engagement in the reconstruction of Ukraine is an opportunity to support mutual development and stability in the entire region. Another topic of the fourth EPC summit is migration, which is viewed by Slovakia as one of the biggest challenges for the European Union, as it directly affects the political stability, security and social and economic developments of the continent, said Kmec. The EPC summit is being attended by 50 heads of countries and governments. Its agenda is comprised of the initial plenary session and roundtable discussions on issues such as energy and connectivity, the protection of democracy and migration. Kmec will take part in the roundtable on migration. The European Political Community is an inter-governmental platform for political and strategic debate on the future of Europe, whose creation was initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The EPC is not meant to replace other existing formats, such as NATO, the UN or the Council of Europe. ko/df