BRATISLAVA, May 7, (WEBNOVINY) – Foreign Affairs Minister Mikulas Dzurinda visited the Slovak troops deployed in the UNFICYP peacekeeping mission in Cyprus on Saturday. The minister told SITA news agency that he has seen for himself “what great importance our mission has” there. It is necessary to prevent conflicts on the island and talk with the citizens, which are tasks of Slovak troops, too. Slovaks have been involved in the UNFICYP mission for ten years.
On Friday, Dzurinda visited the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) headquarters, where he met UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Cyprus Alexander Downer. The UN buffer zone is divided into three sections, one of which is under the command of the Slovak UN contingent. Earlier this year, Slovakia’s Defense Minister Lubomir Galko announced that Slovak troops would be withdrawn from Cyprus due to financial reasons. The foreign minister, however, emphasized on Saturday that this mission would not be dismissed. He added that if it were to happen, it would start with silent talks, continue by informing partners and only then revealing the information to the public. “This is not the case of UNFICYP,” Dzurinda stressed.
On Friday, minister Dzurinda met with the country’s President Demetris Christofias, Speaker of the Parliamentary Assembly Marios Garoyian and his counterpart Markos Kyprianou. They discussed bilateral and international issues as well as current developments in the divided island. Slovakia has been covering the bi-communal dialogue in Cyprus for years.
SITA