The development of bilateral ties with countries with which Slovakia's priorities and interests overlap, along with those of the rest of Europe and the world beyond, will be among the cardinal priorities of Slovak foreign affairs policy, according to the Government Manifesto submitted to Parliament by Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) on April 20.
"We have special ties with the Czech Republic, tried-and-tested cooperation with Poland, Hungary, Austria and with traditional partners within the EU as well as the United States of America. We'll extend active support for transforming Ukraine's European prospects and won't accept the violation of its territorial integrity," reads the document.
Slovakia will remain an active member of the Visegrad Four (V4) group (which includes also the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland), as it attaches particular importance to the concept of regional cooperation, but will strive to promote Slovak interests and help to steer the V4 towards contributing to joint solutions within the EU.
Another important part of Slovak foreign policy will be cooperation with countries of the Western Balkans, whose aspirations regarding EU membership will be championed by Bratislava.
NATO membership and close trans-Atlantic ties remain an unshakeable foundation for Slovakia's security and defence strategy. "Slovakia will actively support the building of strategic and mutually beneficial ties between the EU and the USA. We'll support the building up of military capabilities as part of the common EU security and defence policy," states the Manifesto, adding that without such capabilities the EU can't pursue its aspirations to become a respected global actor in the international arena.
