Albares Meets Blanar, Confirms Spain's Commitment to Slovakia's Security

Madrid, 3 June (TASR) - Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) held talks with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares in Madrid on Monday (2 June), with strengthening security and economic cooperation and common positions on current international issues high on the agenda of the talks, according to a video posted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on a social network. The Spanish minister voiced his country's full support for the security of Slovakia and NATO's entire eastern flank. "We must build Europe together, and I guarantee you that Spain's commitment to the security of your country, as well as to the entire eastern flank, is unconditional and complete," stressed Albares. According to him, Slovakia can also count on Spain's support in the future. The Slovak minister thanked Albares for the presence of Spanish soldiers in the NATO multinational battle group in Slovakia. "There are more than 800 soldiers [in it], who are also the leaders of this multinational brigade today," stated Blanar, adding that this is the largest such mission for the Spanish army abroad. Blanar noted that a Slovak foreign affairs minister last paid a visit to Madrid in 2016, and he stressed the need to strengthen bilateral relations. "We are EU and NATO members, but we also strongly support each other in multilateral organisations, such as the UN Security Council, where we support each other's candidacies: ours in 2028-2029 and Spain's in 2031-2032," stated Blanar. The two ministers expressed their interest in deepening economic cooperation and creating an appropriate political and diplomatic framework for further developing relations. Blanar added that he believes in an early opportunity to organise a meeting between the two countries' premiers. ko/df