Blanar: Slovakia Wants to Develop Strategic Partnership with Italy

Rome, 4 March (TASR) – During bilateral talks held in Rome on Tuesday (3 March), Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani concurred on the need to further develop strategic relations between the two countries based on strong economic cooperation, intensive political dialogue and a joint approach to current global challenges, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's communications department has informed TASR. In connection with the current situation in the Middle East, Blanar highlighted a discussion on the potential security and energy implications for Europe. He and the Italian minister emphasised in particular the need to respect international law and to prevent any further escalation of tensions in the region. According to Blanar, developments concerning Iran, the United States and Israel have both a security and an energy dimension that may affect the stability of the European area. "It's therefore extremely important to seek solutions that will prevent further escalation," said the Slovak minister, adding that the situation so far doesn't indicate a calming of tension, but rather the opposite. Slovakia and Italy are therefore currently focusing on the necessary repatriations of their nationals from the Middle East. The two ministers pointed to negative international impacts of restrictions on strategic trade and energy routes in the region. "We spoke about the need to diversify energy sources. In this context, I informed the Italian minister about the situation concerning the halt of Russian oil supplies to Slovakia via Ukraine through the allegedly damaged Druzhba pipeline, which the Ukrainian side has been refusing to substantiate in a credible manner even after more than a month," stated Blanar. In addition to political cooperation, the Slovak minister highlighted bilateral trade relations with Rome. Italy has long been one of Slovakia's most significant trading partners. Mutual trade reached €7.8 billion in the first eleven months of last year, with Slovakia showing a trade-balance surplus of €1.3 billion, stated the ministry. Italy has an ambition to become a leader in nuclear technology, for which Slovakia can be a key partner, said Blanar. "Along with France, Slovakia is among the biggest producers of nuclear energy; we possess exceptionally high-quality expertise, which allows us to establish practical cooperation with Italy in areas such as research and development of fourth-generation reactors and the recycling of spent nuclear fuel," he explained. The talks also touched on defence, with Slovakia expressing appreciation for Italy's assistance in partially protecting its airspace in 2023–2024. The discussion further focused on the European agenda, particularly the issues of competitiveness, energy security and the protection of strategic sectors. ko/df