Pellegrini Discusses Defence and Energy with Turkish President Erdogan

       Ankara, 9 July (TASR-correspondent) - President Peter Pellegrini has discussed defence, the economy and energy with Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a bilateral meeting in Ankara, TASR has learnt on the plane during his way home.
        The meeting took place on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The Slovak head of state also confirmed that Erdogan had presented the leaders of NATO countries with revolvers as gifts.
        According to Pellegrini, he thanked Erdogan for his assistance with gas transit. "President Erdogan and the TurkStream pipeline system responded immediately by increasing capacity, thereby creating alternative routes for transporting gas to Slovakia," he said.
        The Slovak president noted that both Turkey and Slovakia are among the leading producers of large-calibre ammunition, for which there is significant demand. According to him, Turkey has expressed interest in becoming more involved in projects under the SAFE European defence instrument, which facilitates loans to EU-member states for purchasing military equipment.
        Pellegrini informed Erdogan that, following the launch of the fourth unit at the Mochovce nuclear power plant, Slovakia will become a world leader in nuclear energy production as part of its energy mix, of which nuclear energy makes up nearly 70 percent. He asked Erdogan to create an opportunity for Slovak state-owned company JAVYS to participate in a tender for constructing a nuclear-waste repository in Turkey.
        "With its expertise throughout the entire nuclear cycle, Slovakia can play a significant role not only at home but also abroad," he said, adding that the Turkish side has promised to do everything possible to ensure that Slovak companies can participate in the tender.
        Pellegrini also confirmed that the leaders of NATO-member countries had received revolvers as gifts at the NATO summit. In this regard, he mentioned that he holds a firearms licence and has applied for permission to transport the handgun to Slovakia. "The gift is surprising, but I must say it's very original, and as someone who owns several firearms, I'm naturally delighted to receive such a gift," he added, adding that he'll properly register the weapon.