Slovak and Czech Premiers Sign Memorandum on Enhanced Cooperation
Studenka, 31 March (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis signed a memorandum on enhanced cooperation at Nova Horka Castle in the Czech town of Studenka on Tuesday, doing so during a joint meeting of their cabinets.
They also signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation in the field of peaceful energy use. Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlicek signed agreements with Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) on shared responsibility for gas storage in the gas-storage facilities in the Czech village of Dolni Bojanovice.
According to Fico and Babis, the governments met in the Czech Republic in full format, with all ministers in attendance. "We carried out an inventory check of our mutual relations. If you look at the signed memorandum, you'll see that there's enormous scope for deepening cooperation and joint projects in practically every area," stated Fico.
Babis noted that Slovakia and the Czech Republic are each other's biggest trading partners, with Czech companies investing in Slovakia and vice versa. "I'm glad that for the first time in three years, we've finally been able to address these issues together in a way that benefits the daily lives of our citizens," he stated.
The Slovak premier also stressed that the two countries are neglecting the bilateral dimension of their relations. "We go to Brussels and get bogged down in the European agenda. We spend hours on the Ukraine issue, we agonise over topics that we can't seem to make progress on. And then we meet bilaterally, and it turns out there are huge surprises in what we can all do together," he said. According to Fico, the joint meeting was dubbed "the voice of common sense".
Fico emphasised that there are three issues that require attention: world peace, energy security and the fight against illegal migration. He praised Babis's proactive approach at European Council meetings, where he raises the issue of electricity prices.
The Slovak and Czech governments met for joint talks at Nova Horka Castle in Studenka in Moravian-Silesian region on Tuesday. The first joint meeting of the Slovak and Czech cabinets took place in 2012. The most recent planned intergovernmental consultations, which were scheduled for late April and early May 2024, didn't take place. The Czech government at the time suspended them, citing disagreement with certain steps taken by the Slovak cabinet in foreign policy and in particular Slovakia's stance on the war in Ukraine. Previously, the governments had met in April 2023 in Trencin. To date, eight such joint meetings have been held.
