The Presidents of Slovakia and Poland praised the good relations between the countries and want to continue their cooperation

Warsaw/Bratislava – President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini and Polish President Andrzej Duda praised the good mutual relations between their countries. They want to continue cooperating. They stated this at a joint press conference on Thursday after their meeting in Warsaw, where the Slovak head of state traveled for a working visit. TASR reports.

The presidents also discussed energy, migration, and the situation in Ukraine. They condemned the conflict and agreed on the need to help Ukraine. However, their views differ on when Ukraine should start accession talks with the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).

“Our northern neighbor is a strategic partner for Slovakia. Given our trade exchange and volume of mutual investments, Poland is among the top three countries that are the biggest investors or trade partners for Slovakia,” noted Pellegrini.

The Polish president also appreciated the mutual relations. He welcomed that Pellegrini chose Poland as the destination for his second bilateral foreign trip as president. He spoke about the need for mutual dialogue. He invited him to the meeting of presidents of the informal Arraiolos group, which is to be held in the autumn in Krakow.

The heads of state also discussed next week’s NATO summit in Washington. Duda wants to raise the issue of allied defense spending there. He wants member countries to increase their defense share to three percent of GDP. According to Pellegrini, Slovakia already invests more than two percent of GDP in defense.

They also discussed the presence of NATO troops on the territory of their countries. Duda informed that at the summit, he would request an increase in the number of allied soldiers on Polish territory. Pellegrini clarified that NATO units are already operating in Slovakia and, if necessary, Slovakia is ready to increase their number.

The presidents jointly condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine and agreed on the need to support Kyiv. Pellegrini reminded that Slovakia no longer provides any deadly devices to Ukraine from its army reserves. “However, the government does not restrict but, on the contrary, has encouraged the commercial production of armament systems, including ammunition, through joint investments in its own state or semi-state enterprises,” he added.

The views of the heads of state differ on the issue of opening talks with Ukraine about its NATO membership. “Duda may be in favor of encouraging and an earlier start of Ukraine’s accession talks to NATO, we rather urge caution,” noted Pellegrini, pointing out the threat of escalating tension. (July 4)

“Duda may be in favor of encouraging and an earlier start of Ukraine’s accession talks to NATO, we rather urge caution.” Peter Pellegrini