Rasi: Europe Need Strong France

Paris, 8 October (TASR) - Europe needs a strong France, Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) said on Wednesday during a working trip to Paris, where he held talks with President of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet, Parliament Office's communications department told TASR on Wednesday, adding that the aim of their meeting was to declare the launch of more intensive parliamentary cooperation. "I thanked the President for her welcome in these turbulent times for France," said Rasi, referring to the ongoing political crisis deepened by the resignation of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Rasi is convinced that national parliaments are essential pillars for the preservation of a democratic state despite difficult social events. The key point of the meeting with Braun-Pivet was the effort to deepen cooperation at the parliamentary level, which is to build on the 17-year strategic partnership and the Action Plan for 2023-2027, which, according to Rasi, gives room for intensifying bilateral relations. "I see here room for personal input, namely by addressing the parliamentary committees and calling on their chairpersons to start cooperation with France in areas that we consider to be crucial for Slovakia's development and the stabilisation of the entire EU," stated the Slovak House chair. The discussion also included legislative developments in Slovakia in connection with the adopted amendment to the Constitution. Rasi assured the French side that Slovakia fully respects its European commitments. "I want to stress that the recent amendment to the Constitution, which incorporated the equality of the two genders, in no way calls into question the law and primacy of European Union law," he said, adding that the amendment didn't go beyond the framework of European law. "Slovakia is and will remain a reliable member of the European Union, which we prove by our full support for Ukraine and its accession to the EU," he added. During his working trip on Wednesday morning in Meudon in the Paris metropolitan area, Rasi laid a wreath at the statue of Milan Rastislav Stefanik in the presence of representatives of compatriot associations. am