Foreign Policies

Kiska: Slovakia Has A Lot to Learn from Slovenia in Terms of Tourism

Ljubljana, April 23 (TASR) – For smaller countries such as Slovakia and Slovenia, it’s important for them to exchange their best experiences and understand what one country can learn from the other, stated Slovak President Andrej Kiska on Monday as part of his official visit to Slovenia.

“Being a small country can be an advantage, as many changes can be made very quickly. We just have to be open, observant and be willing to change things,” said Kiska after meeting his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor in Ljubljana.

Kiska added that Slovakia can learn a lot from Slovenia, for instance, in terms of tourism, as this sector forms 12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in Slovenia, while in Slovakia it’s only slightly above 2 percent. “And Slovakia has beautiful nature,” said the Slovak president.

Kiska further described relations between the two countries as trouble-free and friendly. Both states are in the EU, in NATO and have the same euro currency, he added.

Likewise, the Slovenian president described political cooperation between the two countries as exemplary. He stressed that Kiska was the first foreign official who laid a wreath on the Victims of all Wars Memorial, which was unveiled only recently. Kiska pointed to the fact that such a memorial is lacking in Slovakia and that maybe it’s time to start discussing such a project.

Kiska and Pahor also declared that both countries want to be part of the EU core. Kiska added that strong Russian propaganda can be observed in the two countries. “Through various channels, the Russians are trying to divide our EU,” said the Slovak president, adding that Russia doesn’t want a strong EU, but wants to divide it into small countries over which it can exert its influence to a greater extent.

SPPK: If Farmers Aren't Taken Seriously, They Will Be Seen in Streets More Often

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PM: Slovakia to Organise Repeated Mass Testing, Two Dozen Districts Exempt

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Fico: Slovakia to Receive €1 bn of €10-bn Package of EU Funds for Floods

Slovakia will receive €1 billion of the €10-billion package from EU cohesion funds to deal with the consequences of the recent floods, Premier Robert Fico, who attended on Thursday a meeting of premiers and the European Commission on floods in Wroclaw, Poland, told a press conference on Friday.

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