Blanar: Foreign Ministry Meets its 2024 Plans (2)

Bratislava, December 28 (TASR) - The Foreign Affairs Ministry managed to accomplish activities it planned for 2024 and, most importantly, the Government continues its sovereign foreign policy, which puts emphasis on the Slovak people, their living standards and economy, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar has stated in his end-of-the-year assessment interview for TASR. "We said it very clearly that we're members of the EU and NATO, but we also plan to voice our views in cases when we think something is not developing right in these organisations," said Blanar, alluding to Slovakia's stance on migration and the war in Ukraine. According to Blanar, many bilateral talks in other countries confirmed that foreign partners respect Slovakia all the more so because of its sovereign foreign policy. "As long as you have a really clear, sovereign opinion, which shows respect to others who decided to embrace different paths in how to govern their countries, then even those others will respect you more, particularly when you have a clear stance, you're easy to read and know what you wish to promote," stated the minister. Blanar reiterated that Slovakia has an interest in peace talks regarding the Ukraine-Russia conflict and will support all peacemaking activities. "I attended in person also the peace summit held in Switzerland, where everyone realized what we'd been saying earlier, namely that without the Russian Federation behind the table no peace solution can be achieved," he said and underlined that Slovakia supports Ukraine's joining of EU but not NATO. Blanar rejects claims by the opposition, according to which Slovakia has wounded up in an international isolation. "How could we accomplish having our own citizen, Mr. Hambalek, taken off the sanctions list if no one talked to us in the EU? Such a decision must be taken unanimously," said the minister. He accentuated that Slovakia is seen and heard in the world, as evidenced by the extension of the exemption from the ban on imports of Russian-oil products to the Czech Republic. Blanar pointed out to the ministry's orientation on the economic diplomacy, which he plans to continue to develop. "We'd like to orient more on the economic diplomacy, which is why we've defined plans also outside of the EU, where we'd like to be very active. That space of interest in Indo-Pacific, where we decided to open additional representative offices, countries of the global south, whether it means China, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, but also states of Africa, where we're opening two new representative offices, plus Brazil and South America. We're convinced that there's enormous room for us to return to these markets," he said. Blanar broached Slovakia's candidacies as well. "We are directly represented in the top body of UNESCO and run for the 2028-2029 non-permanent UN Security Council member, a bid which is shaping up as very, very promising because we're the only country of Eastern Europe that runs and this candidacy has recruited support from several countries," he said. mf