- Slovakia wants to become a connecting bridge between the European Union and Vietnam.
- Robert Fico described the Slovak-Vietnamese strategic partnership as natural and conflict-free.
- Slovakia offers Vietnam cooperation in nuclear energy and the arms industry.
The Slovak Republic wants to be a bridge between the European Union and Vietnam. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced this at a press conference with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung in Hanoi. He described the agreement on the strategic partnership between Slovakia and Vietnam as a natural continuation of the strategic partnership that was concluded between Vietnam and the European Union, reports TASR.
“There are no open political issues between Slovakia and Vietnam. We are countries that are historically extremely strongly connected, we are countries that can focus on the continuation of mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” announced the Slovak Prime Minister. “We want to be a country that will be a connecting bridge between the European Union and Vietnam, and we are ready to provide all our experience in this spirit,” he emphasized. Fico sees the potential for deepening cooperation mainly in nuclear energy and the arms industry.
Le Minh Hung said that Slovakia and Vietnam are “developing cooperation based on international law”. The Prime Ministers agreed that it is necessary to respect him also in the issue of the South China Sea, which is the subject of a dispute between Vietnam and neighboring countries.
According to the president, the Vietnamese government will strive to improve economic cooperation, support the activities of Slovak companies in Vietnam and Vietnamese companies in Slovakia. He wants to cooperate in the field of defense and security, science, technology, innovation and digitization. Vietnam also supports the regulated migration of highly skilled human resources.
Fico further emphasized that the government of the Slovak Republic will always respect international law, as well as the decisions of each state, which path it chooses in managing its own affairs. “I guarantee that the government of the Slovak Republic will never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” he declared. The new Vietnamese Prime Minister took office last week and the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic invited him for an official visit to Slovakia.
During the visit of the Slovak delegation, representatives of both countries signed memoranda of understanding and cooperation between the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, culture, as well as in the field of nuclear energy.
The Slovak government offers Vietnam cooperation in the field of atomic energy and the arms industry. “The Government of the Slovak Republic takes note of the decision of the Government of Vietnam that it wants to follow the path of electricity production in the future also through the construction of atomic power plants. I will not repeat the unique experience of the Slovak Republic in this area, we are offering them again,” said Fico.
Vietnam is interested in training experts in the field of atomic energy, according to the prime minister, Slovakia is ready to be of maximum assistance in this field. He identified the arms industry as the second area of cooperation
