Blanar Praises Closer Bilateral Ties with Switzerland

Bern/Bratislava, November 19 (TASR-correspondetn) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar met with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis in Bern on Tuesday and praised the fomenting of closer bilateral ties between the two countries, TASR learnt from its special correspondent on the same day. Blanar also invited Cassis to a visit of Bratislava. The Slovak minister praised the role and investments by Swiss firms in Slovakia, particularly activities of Schindler, which entered the Slovak market as far back as in 1995. He's slated to visit the company's headquarter in Ebikon later in the evening. Among geopolitical issues, the meeting revolved around the conflict in Ukraine, with Blanar voicing his appreciation to Switzerland's peace initiative and Ukraine's peace summit held in Burgenstock. He also pointed to the Swiss mine removal initiatives and emphasised the existing cooperation between Slovakia and Switzerland in this context. In addition, Blanar expressed gratitude to Switzerland for its support of Slovakia's bid for the 2028-29 non-permanent UN Security Council membership. He added that Bratislava fully supports the EU-Switzerland deal, negotiations on which have reached their final stage. The Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister also thanked for the solidarity that Switzerland showed in the wake of the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico's life. Cassis called the Tuesday's visit by the head of Slovak diplomacy further evidence of deepening bilateral ties, pointing to Slovak president Zuzana Caputova's visit two years ago. He accentuated that cooperation with Slovakia is developing in difficult geopolitical times. mf/mcs