Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) on Tuesday held talks with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Vienna, with economic cooperation between Slovakia and Austria, anti-coronavirus measures on the border between the two countries, and nuclear energy being high on the agenda.
"I'm convinced that Sebastian Kurz will find time to visit Slovakia this year," the Slovak prime minister stated on Twitter following their joint press conference, noting that Slovakia is very much interested in developing trilateral cooperation with Austria and the Czech Republic, known as the Austerlitz format, which is playing an important role in the fight against the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Kurz tweeted that Austria and Slovakia will continue to work closely together in the fight against the pandemic and will put special focus on introducing the so-called digital COVID-passes.
As for nuclear power, Heger remarked that it's an important source of energy for Slovakia, noting that Slovakia is aware of the sensitivity of this topic for Austria and that observing international standards in this area is a priority for the country.
When it came to the issue of cross-border commuters, Heger pointed to the fact that as of Monday those who cross the Austrian-Slovak border to commute to work need to present a COVID-19 test result no older than seven days, which is an increase of four days as compared to the measure that was previously in effect.
The Slovak Prime Minister also met in Vienna with Austrian head of state Alexander Van der Bellen to discuss recovery plans. "Both countries will soon face the challenging process of carrying them out. A mutual exchange of experience can only be beneficial," stated Heger.
