Blanar Takes Part in Danube Strategy Meeting in Vienna

Vienna, June 21 (TASR) - Head of Slovak diplomacy Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) took part in a meeting of the ministers of the Danube Strategy countries in Vienna on Thursday, discussing security and the process of enlargement of the EU with his counterparts, the minister himself has reported on Facebook. The meeting was attended by a total of 14 ministers from countries of the so-called Danube region, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary, Ukraine and Austria. The ministers jointly signed the Vienna Danube Declaration, which covers issues such as stability, security and prosperity in the Danube region. Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who hosted the meeting, said that all Danube countries should belong to the EU, calling meetings and cooperation at the level of this region a stepping stone and "testing laboratory" for these countries. On Friday, Blanar's agenda in Austria will continue with the Europa-Forum Wachau 2024 conference and a working meeting of the "Friends of the Western Balkans" informal grouping, at which EU representatives and Western Balkan ministers will discuss assistance options for accelerating the EU accession process for Western Balkan countries with candidate status. zel