Blanar: Slovakia Preparing to Host Central 5 Countries Meeting in September

Blanar, 27 May (TASR) - Slovakia plans to host a meeting of the Central 5 (C5) informal regional group in September, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) announced following talks with Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon. "We want to remain in this informal format, and that's why the Slovak Republic has accepted the opportunity to organise the C5 summit after Slovenia," the Slovak minister explained. During their meeting, the two officials discussed bilateral relations between Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as their countries' joint engagement in multilateral relations. Both sides confirmed their interest in further cooperation, identifying potential for improvement in areas such as the automotive industry, artificial intelligence, engineering and the defence sector. "Slovenia is preparing the construction of a nuclear power unit, and I offered our expertise, particularly in nuclear energy supervision, in which we're truly strong and capable, as well as in the area of nuclear fuel disposal," stated Blanar. He and Fajon also discussed support for closer cooperation between the Slovak and Slovenian Matica organisations. Blanar appreciated the fact that Fajon, during the ongoing annual meeting of Slovak ambassadors, shared Slovenia's experience as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and also the fact that the country supports Slovakia's candidacy for the same post for the years 2028 and 2029. "Slovenia supports Slovakia on this path of candidacy, and we'll continue to share our experience with you," said Fajon. She added that issues such as migration, tourism and the current global security situation were also discussed. Both ministers called for peaceful solutions. [The C5 countries are Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. - ed. note] lin/df