On Wednesday, President Zoran Milanović spoke with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico about the political and security situation in Europe and the world, and supported additional negotiation efforts to establish peace in Ukraine.
Fico is on an official visit to Croatia and earlier met with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
"At the international level, it is primarily necessary to make additional negotiating efforts to establish peace in Ukraine," the President's Office announced.
Regarding the functioning of the European Union in the new international political circumstances, Milanović and Fico also agreed that all member states "have the right to take into account national political and economic interests", and they also agreed that it is necessary to continue with the expansion of the EU to include countries of Southeast Europe that meet the conditions.
The two leaders also emphasized the importance of achieving energy security for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with Slovakia seeing Croatia as an important partner in this.
Fico had earlier said at a meeting with Plenković that Slovakia wanted to increase oil imports via Croatia and stressed the importance of returning the route via Ukraine, stressing that it was also crucial for Europe. Bratislava lost 500 million euros due to its halt on January 1, and Fico asked Plenković to encourage and support the restoration of the gas flow through Slovakia.
At the meeting in the Office of the President of the Republic, the traditionally good and friendly relations between Croatia and Slovakia were confirmed, which, it was concluded, have no open mutual issues.
Alongside Fico, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanár was also present at the Office of the President of the Republic.
Fico was also received by the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, and they discussed minorities, cultural and economic cooperation.
The Croatian minority in Slovakia and the Slovak minority in Croatia remain a strong link between the two countries, the interlocutors agreed.
In Slovakia, Croatian language classes are held in elementary schools in four Bratislava municipalities where Croats live, as well as in one local high school. There is also a Croatian language department at the Comenius University in the same city, with a Croatian lector.
The two sides today signed a Cooperation Program between the two Ministries of Culture for the period 2025-2029, as a framework for future cultural interaction between Croatia and Slovakia.
Fico and Jandroković also referred to very positive economic indicators. Bilateral trade exceeded one and a half billion euros in 2024, and more than 530,000 Slovak tourists visited Croatia during that period. They pointed out that there is significant room for improving cooperation in agriculture, food, pharmaceutical and military industries, as well as in the IT sector and tourism,
Fico also expressed strong support for Croatia on its path towards OECD membership.
Photo: HINA/Filip Glas
