Blanar and His Bulgarian Counterpart Hold Phone Talks on NATO Summit

Bratislava, 6 July (TASR) - Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova discussed current European and security issues, including the upcoming NATO summit, during their telephone conversation on Monday, TASR has learnt from the ministry's communications department. During the conversation, the ministers expressed their support for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. "Slovakia will support the upcoming conclusions from the summit and will continue to fulfil its commitments arising from its membership in the Alliance. However, our long-standing position is that the decision to provide military assistance to Ukraine rests solely with each member state. For this reason, the Slovak Republic will not participate in military aid or financial military support for Ukraine," stressed Blanar. "Slovakia and Bulgaria enjoy very good bilateral relations and are interested in maintaining an open dialogue on current European and international issues. Like the Slovak Republic, the new Bulgarian government is pursuing its national interests on several key issues," added Blanar. In this context, the Bulgarian foreign minister confirmed a similar approach to the EU's sanctions packages against Russia. Blanar and his Bulgarian counterpart also discussed economic cooperation, such as opportunities for the further development of investment relations and Bulgaria's recent eurozone entry, with Blanar expressing support for Bulgaria's ambition to become a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The NATO summit will take place in Ankara, Turkey, on 7 and 8 July, with the main session of Allied leaders scheduled to take place at the Beştepe Presidential Complex on Wednesday. The meeting will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This is the second time a NATO summit is taking place in Turkey. jrg