Slovak Diplomacy Confirms Its Peace Stance at Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting

Bratislava, 12 August (TASR) - Slovak diplomacy has confirmed its stance regarding peace at an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers held as an informal video conference on Monday (11 August), the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's communications department told TASR on Tuesday, adding that Slovakia was represented by the ministry's state secretary Rastislav Chovanec acting on behalf of minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD). The extraordinary meeting was called by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas in response to recent developments in the military conflict in Ukraine and ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska slated for Friday (15 August), as well as Israel's recent decision to expand its military operation in Gaza. On Ukraine, Chovanec confirmed Slovakia's long-standing position in that it is essential to respect international law as the foundation of any peaceful solution. "The future peace deal must respect the key principles of international law, the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. In this context, changing the borders by force is unacceptable for us," he said. The ministry believes that the Alaska summit will contribute towards positive developments in the conflict. Tackling the situation in the Middle East, Chovanec stressed that the large-scale displacement of civilians or military operations in densely populated areas are making an already critical situation even worse. "The Slovak Republic has been repeatedly calling for unrestricted and safe access to humanitarian aid for all Gaza residents without any political or military conditions," he said. The ministry reiterated that Slovakia has been consistently supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. jrg/df/am