Slovak and Portuguese Presidents See Room for Deeper Ties, Including in Defence

Lisbon, 26 November (TASR-correspondent) - Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa confirmed in Lisbon on Wednesday that they'll continue to pursue the existing relations between their countries, but following the bilateral talks they emphasised that there is room to further deepen mutual relations, particularly in the areas of defence and the economy, a TASR correspondent has reported. Pellegrini also praised Portugal's decision last year to increase the number of its soldiers serving in Slovakia as part of NATO's Multinational Battle Group at the Lest training centre (Banska Bystrica region). Pellegrini was received on a state visit by Rebelo de Sousa at the Belem Presidential Palace in Lisbon. This is the first visit by a Slovak head of state to Portugal in 20 years. The country was last visited in 2005 by then president Ivan Gasparovic. According to Pellegrini, trade between Portugal and Slovakia has much greater potential than the current level. Even cooperation in the defence industry and mechanical engineering, which is undergoing significant strengthening, doesn't reach the desired levels, he noted. The Slovak head of state went on to say that both countries have the same stances on issues such as support for the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU and the European prospects of other countries, including Ukraine and Moldova. Pellegrini pointed out that Portugal and Slovakia are net recipients of EU funds and belong to the group known as the Friends of a More Ambitious Europe (Friends of Cohesion). According to him, Portugal will be an important partner for Slovakia in the coming months during negotiations on the new EU budget, i.e. the multi-annual financial framework. The two countries share similar views on issues such as maintaining cohesion and equalising payments in the area of agriculture. "I'm pleased that we've found a partner in Portugal, and I firmly believe that, along with other countries fighting for similar priorities, we'll succeed in pushing through all the priorities that are important for both Portugal and Slovakia in the European Union's multi-annual financial framework," added the Slovak president. During his state visit, Pellegrini described the participation of Portuguese soldiers in the multinational brigade in Lest as an example of mutual cooperation between the two countries as allies within NATO, Europe and the EU who are able to help each other in situations such as the conflict in Ukraine. am/df