Slovak MPs Make First Official Visit to Ukraine to Strengthen EU Integration Dialogue
A delegation from the Slovak Parliament's Committee on European Affairs, led by its chairman Juraj Ferenčák, arrived in Kyiv for the first time at the invitation of Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada (the Parliament of Ukraine) Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU.
The Gaze reports this, referring to a press release from the Parliament of Ukraine
On the first day of their visit, the Slovak parliamentarians met with First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, members of the Committees on Ukraine's Integration into the EU and Foreign Policy, as well as representatives of the Ukraine-Slovakia Interparliamentary Friendship Group.
During the meetings, the parties discussed Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression, progress towards European Union membership, and the reforms necessary to open accession negotiations.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze stressed that the challenges facing Ukraine are common to the entire European continent and expressed hope for more active assistance from Slovakia.
“We count on Slovakia, understanding these challenges, to become more actively involved in supporting Ukraine,” she said.
Slovak MPs confirmed their support for Ukraine's European integration course and their interest in strengthening cooperation both at the parliamentary level and between communities. They also discussed the possibility of implementing joint projects using Slovakia's experience in the EU accession process.
According to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, this visit was an important step towards revitalizing bilateral relations between the countries.
“We are glad that this step has been taken, and we hope that interparliamentary ties will continue to develop on this basis,” she added.
In addition, the Slovak delegation visited places in Kyiv that had been damaged by Russian missile and drone strikes.
“We believe that those who have come here for the first time will continue to find additional arguments for their societies that this is a common war and why we need to force Russia to make peace, rather than persuade it to engage in some kind of dialogue,” said the Chairwoman of the Committee on Ukraine's Integration.
As The Gaze informed earlier, during the third International Defense Industry Forum (DFNC3), Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Robert Kaliňák announced his intention to strengthen Ukrainian-Slovak cooperation in the defense industry.