The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met today in Madrid with his Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanár. At the meeting, the minister reaffirmed the good relations of both countries, especially in the area of security and defence, with the firm commitment of our country on the eastern flank. In fact, Spain has its largest deployment in a foreign country in Slovakia. The EU agenda and international issues were other topics discussed at the meeting.
Security in the East
Both ministers were able to talk about security and defence, an area in which the good bilateral relationship between the two countries stands out. Within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe, Spain is the leading nation in Slovakia's multinational brigade. This is the largest Spanish deployment abroad, with 828 Army personnel at the bases of Lest and Kuchyma, and it also has heavy equipment.
Bilateral meetings
On the economic level, Spanish companies established in Slovakia operate mainly in the automotive and infrastructure sectors. On this point, Albares recalled the importance of the recent agreement signed between the Ministries of Transport of both countries to promote cooperation in this area.
On the other hand, Spanish is consolidated as a foreign language in the Slovak education system. And our country is among the favourite destinations for Erasmus students from Slovakia.
International affairs
The challenges facing the European Union and the preparation of the next NATO summit, to be held in The Hague at the end of the month, were some of the issues on the European agenda addressed by the ministers at the meeting.
On international issues, Albares and Blanár have also spoken about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza.
You can see pictures of the event here.
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