Slovak President Peter Pellegrini on Thursday during a business trip to Rome, Italy visited the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta. He thanked the representatives of the order for their work and help in Slovakia in the fields of education, healthcare and social services. He met with the Grand Master of the order Fra’ John Dunlap, who plans to visit Slovakia next year. TASR was informed about this by the Office of the President of the Slovak Republic.
“The President of the Slovak Republic visited the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta as the first Slovak head of state in twenty years. (…) Slovakia and the Maltese like to unite common Christian values and concern for people in need. Grandmaster Dunlap therefore plans to personally visit Slovakia next year, by which we will be able to deepen our cooperation, for example in the field of humanitarian aid to third countries,” the president’s office explained.
At Thursday’s meeting, they talked about the work and activities of the order in Slovakia. Among other things, the Slovak president praised the founding of the Slovak Society of the Order of Malta last year. He highlighted the long-term efforts of the Order of Malta in the defense of international humanitarian law, the protection of the civilian population and the promotion of religious freedom. According to Pellegrini, it corresponds to our own foreign policy priorities.
The situation in Ukraine was also a topic. In this context, the Slovak head of state drew attention to the fact that the Slovak Republic supports “all serious and diplomatic efforts leading to the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peaceAt the same time, she pointed to the ongoing assistance of the Slovak Republic to Ukraine, especially through financial support and targeted energy assistance.
