Estok Held Consultations in China in Preparation for Fico's Visit

Beijing, April 25 (TASR) - Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Marek Estok spent several days of consultations in China as part of the preparations for the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to the Asian country in June, TASR was told by the ministry's communication department. Estok was in China between April 23-25 and during the visit the Chinese partners confirmed the main messages of the upcoming trip. The bilateral talks also underlined the interest to promote and intensify relations as much as possible in areas of mutual interest. "We want to develop Slovak-Chinese relations based on mutual respect and equality. Political consultations are an important tool to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, which is essential for our future projects and initiatives," said Estok, who held talks with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li in Beijing. China has long been one of the ten most important global trading partners of Slovakia, and Prime Minister Fico will be accompanied by a Slovak business delegation in China. "Our goal is very active economic cooperation with China and with the support of the Slovak premier's visit, this year could become a milestone for the renewal and expansion of our mutual economic ties," added Estok. am/mcs