Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic

19.April

State Secretary Korčok opens exhibition “FDC – First Day Envelopes of Israel”

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Korčok, opened today (19 April) an exhibition titled “FDC (First Day Covers) – First Day Envelopes of Israel” in the Congress Hall of the ministry. By means of facsimile, the exhibition offers a unique insight into a rich collection kept by the Museum of Jewish Culture which preserves originals of Israeli envelopes that are first day issues in the years 1949-2001.

18.April

Parízek opens the Model Conference 2018

Lukáš Parízek, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, took part today in the opening of the last plenary session of the 11th year of the Model Conference at the Faculty of International Affairs of the University of Economics in Bratislava. At the beginning of November 2017, the first simulations of negotiations within the Model Conference took place in the auditorium of the University of Economics in Bratislava. Students could try, for the first time, how official intergovernmental negotiations take place within which representatives of involved countries have the opportunity to discuss issues, submit positions on them and seek joint solutions. The main themes were divided into three groups focusing on economy, security and politics.

17.April

Statement of Foreign Affairs Ministry on publication of European Commission‘s Enlargement Package

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic welcomes the publication of the European Commission’s reports regarding the enlargement policy, including reports on progress made by the candidate countries and potential candidates for accession to the EU. The reports evaluate in detail progress made in all the areas that are relevant for European integration and serve as the basis of differentiation between countries based on merits and achieved results. The ministry sees these evaluations mainly in the context of the recently publicized strategy of the European Commission on the Western Balkans and EU enlargement and is convinced that enlargement based on established criteria and their fulfilment is a strategic investment into a secure, stable, and unified European Union established on common values.

16.April

Korčok at meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers in Luxembourg: “Military intervention in Syria: Let us not confuse cause and effect.”

The European Union strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, including the recent attack on Douma that is a gross violation of international law. EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs view the targeted strikes of allies on military targets in Syria as specific measures with the aim to prevent further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime against its own population. This was said today (16 April) in the statement endorsed by the Foreign Affairs Council of EU member states in Luxembourg. The Slovak delegation at the meeting was led by Ivan Korčok, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. “The use of chemical weapons in Douma is another flagrant violation of international law which cannot go unheeded. It is necessary that we are clear about this: there were 12 resolutions on Syria submitted to the (UN) Security Council, six of which dealt with the use of chemical weapons against the civilian population. All of them were blocked. In this way a situation has evolved when the international community simply had to react to the crimes of the Syrian regime, which since 2013 has been violating UN SC resolutions and using chemical weapons against its own citizens. At the same time, it is clear that the issue of Syria must be resolved politically, and the Geneva process has no alternative. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify diplomatic efforts as much as possible, leading to the resumption of negotiations on the future peace of Syria,” said Korčok in his remarks.

13.April

State Secretary Parízek visits Donbas

Lukáš Parízek, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and special representative of the ministry for Slovakia’s presidency of the OSCE, visited the region of Donbas in Ukraine on Friday, 13 April. The aim of his trip was to learn directly on the spot about the security situation in the conflict zone as part of the preparation by Slovakia for its presidency of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2019. After taking part in the briefing in the Steering Centre of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMM), he visited the battlefront of the conflict zone near the town of Mariupol. He was provided detailed information on the activities of OSCE observers in the East of Ukraine where he also greeted Slovaks who work in the mission. “I appreciate the demanding and responsible work of international observers as well as the key role of the mission in stabilizing the situation in the region,“ stated the state secretary.

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