Blanar: Government Will Continue to Advocate Slovakia's Interests Within EU

Bratislava, May 1 (TASR) - The Slovak government will continue to assert and defend Slovakia's national interests while also upholding the founding values of the European Union (EU), stated Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) on Wednesday, on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of Slovakia joining the EU (May 1). Slovakia is a confident, full-fledged member of the EU, and Slovak diplomacy also promotes a sovereign and active policy at this level," explained Blanar, adding that the EU has become an important living space for Slovakia. "We joined Schengen with open borders and an open market, as the only country in the Visegrad Group using the single currency, the euro, we have become a gateway to Europe for many important foreign investors," he pointed out. The minister noted that Slovakia's path to the EU was successful just 11 years after gaining its independence in 1993. lin/mcs