BRATISLAVA, April 13, (WEBNOVINY) — The new Slovak government of Robert Fico that won a landslide victory in elections on March 10 wants to restore friendly relations with Russia and maintain with it mutually beneficial trade relationships. Prime Minister Robert Fico said this on Thursday after he introduced into office Finance Minister Peter Kazimir. At the same time, he confirmed the interest of Slovakia to continue with the project of a broad gauge railway line from Russia across Slovakia to Vienna. „We will certainly also look for other joint projects with Russia,“ said Fico.
He said Russia is an important destination not only for Slovakia but also for the European Union. „So we will build on all that energy that we put in Slovakia-Russian relations in the years 2006 to 2010. Then came a break, particularly as relations cooled for ideological reasons, which I cannot fully respect. We want to return to rational, but also friendly dialogue,“ Fico said and pointed out that this government does not have ideological blinders on its eyes.
The prime minister also spoke about the topic of international recognition of Kosovo, which Slovakia has so far refused to recognize as an independent state. He sees no reason for Slovakia to change its position. Slovakia wants to continue to be active in international missions that are under way in line with international law approved by international organizations. According to Prime Minister Fico, troops in Afghanistan should stay there as long as necessary. „Many of the activities in Afghanistan are carried out by the UN, and so with regard to this mission, we remain positive about its continued presence there,“ said Fico.
SITA