On November 24, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala received and held talks with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico, the leader who is visiting Prague on an official visit on his first foreign trip since being elected last October.
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| Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (wearing glasses) during a welcoming ceremony for his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico in Prague, November 24. (Source: AP) |
Speaking at a press conference after the talks, Prime Minister Fico said the two sides had similar views on most issues, except for providing weapons to Ukraine.
Affirming that the two sides discussed a series of issues such as energy, transportation, security and defense, Mr. Fico emphasized that Slovakia is fully committed to its membership in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and is ready to fulfill its obligations.
The two sides also agreed to continue the common tradition between the two governments and the next session is scheduled to take place in Prague in early 2024.
The Slovak leader also welcomed Czech Prime Minister Fiala's readiness to convene a conference of the Visegrad Group, also known as the V4, of which the Czech Republic and Slovakia are members, along with Poland and Hungary, after the formation of a new government in Poland, stressing that the current format of the V4 is stalled.
Prime Minister Fico's visit to Prague has received much attention in the Czech and Slovak media due to criticism from politicians of both countries during the Slovak parliamentary election campaign in September.
Immediately after taking office, Mr. Fico decided to end all Slovakian military aid to Ukraine, while aid to Kiev has always been a policy strongly supported by Prague.
During the visit, Prime Minister Fico also met with host President Petr Pavel and met with the leader of the opposition ANO Movement and former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babis.
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