Slovakia and Belarus - Bridges for Each Other

Prime Minister Robert Fico met with his counterpart from Belarus, Andrei Kobyakov, in Bratislava on Thursday. As he said, Slovakia views Belarus as an important partner within the Eastern Partnership. As Robert Fico added it thus comes as no surprise that Bratislava recently promoted the lifting of sanctions against Minsk. The Slovak Prime Minister noted that Slovakia is a member of the EU, uses the euro and is included in the Schengen area, Belarus is part of the Euroasian zone and has no customs or tax barriers vis-à-vis Russia. "Just as Slovakia can be a bridge to Europe, Belarus can be a great bridge to Eurasia," he added. Kobyakov said that his visit is a natural instalment in the dialogue established by Fico's visit to Minsk last November. Belarus considers Slovakia to be a strategic partner and is committed to mutual cooperation, he added. Fico and Kobyakov also signed an inter-governmental agreement on collaboration in science and technology.