Blanar in Belgrade Praises Exceptional Relations between Slovakia and Serbia

Belgrade, October 18 (TASR-correspondent) - The relations between Serbia and Slovakia are exceptional and are based on a very long historical foundation, Slovak Foreign Affair Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated on Friday following a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Marko Djuric in Belgrade. The head of Slovak diplomacy highlighted the relations between the two countries, which he'd like to translate into deeper economic cooperation, seeing great potential for its development. Blanar further stated that both countries share common values, stressing that respect for international law and the territorial integrity of countries is crucial. "We have this consistent attitude towards all those who violate international law, even if they may be, say, our friends from the alliance or other groupings. We have to be principled," he added. According to the Slovak minister, Slovakia's position on Kosovo remains unchanged. "This is a violation of Serbia's territorial integrity. For this reason, Slovakia, like many other countries, hasn't recognised Kosovo," he said, noting, however, that Slovakia supports an intensive dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina because it cares about the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU. Slovakia is trying to help the integration of the Western Balkan countries, especially Serbia, to progress faster than before, said Blanar, adding that he often has "the feeling that some decisions from Brussels aren't based on the foundations that are defined for EU accession, but sometimes a political approach is used", meaning a double standard, which the Slovak government condemns. The Slovak minister is convinced that there is no reason for Serbia to be put on the back burner in the integration process. The ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on inter-ministerial cooperation in Belgrade. Blanar also met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in the Serbian capital. The Serbian foreign minister praised Slovakia's strong support for Serbia. Like Blanar, he stressed that both countries share the same values in the field of international issues, especially in respecting international law. am/mcs