New Delhi: India and Slovakia on Friday discussed issues of mutual interest, including developments in the neighbourhoods of India and Slovakia, the EU and the Ukraine conflict. The discussion took place during the 6th India-Slovakia Foreign Office Consultations held on Friday in New Delhi.
The Indian side was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and the Slovakian side was led by Michal Pavúk, Director General for Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia. India and Slovakia are celebrating 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Both countries share a robust bilateral relationship and have regular exchanges at both political and official levels.
Trade between India and Slovakia has reached new highs in recent years, despite the adverse effects of the pandemic. The Foreign Office consultations provided an opportunity for reviewing bilateral engagements and for exchanging views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including developments in the neighbourhoods of India and Slovakia, the EU, the Ukraine conflict, India’s Presidency of G20 and cooperation in multilateral fora and UNSC reforms.
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Both sides also discussed furthering relations in sectors such as trade and investments, health and pharmaceuticals, defence and cultural linkages. They also agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office consultations at mutually convenient dates in Bratislava. EAM Jaishankar paid an official visit to Slovakia on June 2-3 last year. The visit to Slovakia was the first ever visit at the level of EAM since its creation in 1993.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid a five-day visit to Slovakia and the Czech Republic on June 2 to impart further momentum in ties with the two central European countries. The visit came at a time Europe was grappling with the implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the issue was likely to figure in the external affairs minister's talks in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In his visit to Slovakian capital Bratislava from June 2 to 4, Jaishankar called on Prime Minister Eduard Heger and held bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
