Slovakia supports the establishment of proper dialogue between Georgia and the European Union. The goal of European diplomacy is to maintain this dialogue and clarify positions, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said at a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Maka Botchorishvili.

According to Blanár, Slovakia fully supports Georgia.

The Slovak Foreign Minister also spoke about Georgia’s economic growth and noted that Slovakia wants to deepen relations in this direction.

“Today we talked about economic cooperation. Georgia has 7 percent economic growth — what we wouldn’t give to have such growth. I would like to congratulate you on this achievement. That is why we want to deepen our economic diplomacy. We are going to send our economic attaché to Georgia to explore and expand economic cooperation. There are many areas in which we can be useful to Georgia, for example green energy, innovation and wastewater treatment. It has not been long since we signed an agreement on economic cooperation between Slovakia and Georgia. We agreed with the Minister that we will work actively on this issue. We would also be happy to conclude additional agreements, including on investments,” Blanár said.

The Slovak Foreign Minister thanked the Georgian Minister of Culture for visiting Slovakia and emphasized the importance of cultural cooperation.

“I would also like to thank the Georgian Minister of Culture for the visit. This is one example of how we can support each other in the cultural sphere. During today’s meeting we also touched upon Georgia’s EU candidacy. Slovakia supports proper dialogue between Georgia and the EU. The goal of European diplomacy is to maintain this dialogue and clarify positions. We support keeping this dialogue alive so that we can be honest with each other. Communication must continue to prevent disinformation. Ministers must receive information firsthand. We know where this dialogue stands and we want it to continue. A port has been mentioned in connection with Russia, which, according to Brussels, is allegedly used to evade sanctions. Georgia has very close coordination with relevant EU bodies and I see no reason why Georgia would evade these sanctions. I oppose including this port on any sanctions list,” Blanár said.

Prepared according to simultaneous translation