Berendsen: The Netherlands Respects Slovakia as EU and NATO Partner (2)

Bratislava, 1 June (TASR) - The Netherlands respects Slovakia as a partner in the European Union and NATO, and the foundations of the partnership between the two countries are strong, said Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen after meeting his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) in Bratislava on Monday. According to Blanar, the Netherlands is Slovakia's fifth-most important trading partner. "Your investors are creating new jobs in Slovakia and the volume of foreign trade stands at approximately €5 billion [...] This is a clear picture of economic cooperation. I also believe that bilateral cooperation is very good," said Blanar. The ministers also discussed the war in Ukraine. Blanar reiterated that the conflict has no military solution and must be resolved through diplomatic means. "This view was relatively isolated at the beginning of the war, but today we can see that more and more representatives of EU and European countries are calling for a dialogue with the Russian Federation to be restored and for a solution to be found," he said. According to Berendsen, it's important to maintain European unity and condemn Russia's attack, as Moscow has shown no constructive approach to peace negotiations. He believes that Ukraine should continue to receive both military and non-military support. "At the same time, we support Ukraine's membership of the EU because we're convinced that Ukraine needs to go through all the reforms that are important for it to align itself with the values we uphold in the EU, as our interest is in having a prosperous democratic country in our neighbourhood," said Blanar. The ministers also touched on illegal migration. They concurred that the issue affects the domestic politics of individual countries and has become a key theme in election campaigns. "We share a very similar view with the Netherlands and want to strengthen the European Union's policy on illegal migration by reinforcing the Frontex system, bolstering the Schengen border and improving the EU's return policy, because that's something that has failed so far," stated Blanar. The Dutch minister noted that he and Blanar also discussed several issues concerning Slovakia, including media freedom and the rule of law. He also pointed to the protection of LGBTI people and gender equality. "Thank you for allowing us to discuss these issues openly, because having such a conversation is important," he added. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final four paragraphs mf/df