Minister Blanar Confirms US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Visit to Slovakia

Bratislava, 10 February (TASR) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) has confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Slovakia on Sunday (15 February) at his invitation, TASR was told by the Foreign Ministry's communications department on Tuesday. "I'm delighted that my counterpart has accepted my invitation and will hold talks with the top representatives of the Slovak Republic to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Slovakia and the USA," said Blanar, adding that this is the fourth visit by a head of US diplomacy in the history of the independent Slovakia. "This visit is confirmation of Slovak diplomacy's active and constructive foreign policy and, on this occasion, we'll voice our support for US peace initiatives and discuss their development in line with Slovakia's consistent pro-peace stance," stated Blanar. According to the ministry, the full programme of the visit is currently being prepared with the Americans. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott announced on Monday (9 February) that Rubio will participate in the Munich Security Conference at the weekend before travelling to Bratislava to meet members of the Slovak government and discuss regional security, nuclear energy, NATO and the modernisation of Slovakia's military. jrg/df