Foreign Affairs Ministry: Slovakia Supports Two-State Solution in Gaza Conflict

Brussels/Bratislava, February 24 (TASR) - Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), met with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, during Monday's Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels, where both leaders expressed interest in strengthening bilateral relations, with Saar inviting Blanar to visit Israel, TASR learnt from the ministry's communications department on the same day. Blanar informed Saar about the progress of the purchase of Israeli Barak air defence systems, based on the largest defence export deal between the two countries, worth over half a billion euros. "This is extremely important for us, especially from a timing perspective, as previous governments handed over the S-300 systems to Ukraine without replacement, and Slovak territory is currently unprotected by any air defence system," said the Slovak minister, adding that Saar expressed full support for ensuring the delivery time is as short as possible. During the talks, the ministers also addressed the conflict in Ukraine and the ceasefire in Gaza. Blanar, according to his own words, welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and strongly supported the release of all remaining hostages, which he believes is one of the conditions for achieving a sustainable peace solution in Gaza. He added that for Slovakia, this is absolutely crucial, as the country has supported "dialogue, diplomatic communication, and a two-state solution" from the very beginning. Blanar also reminded that Slovakia has "recognised Palestine" in the past. On Monday, the Slovak Foreign Minister also attended the EU-Israel Association Council meeting. "The Slovak Republic welcomes this format as we're strong supporters of dialogue among all parties involved," he stated. Slovakia also praised the launch of a seasonal route connecting Bratislava with Tel Aviv, with charter flights set to begin at the end of May this year to support tourism. lin/mcs