Slovak and Russian Foreign Ministers Meet in Turkey

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Saturday in a rare high-level meeting on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Turkey. This meeting is one of the few attended by senior European and Russian officials since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and it has faced criticism from Slovak opposition parties. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the meeting “is an example of our balanced sovereign foreign policy.” Fico added that Blanár and Lavrov discussed the potential outcomes of the Ukrainian peace summit in Switzerland. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the two sides discussed international issues, including Ukraine. The statement mentioned that "the Russian side confirmed its readiness to restore relations with Slovakia at the parliamentary level in cultural, humanitarian, and military areas." In his opening speech on Saturday, Lavrov said that Russia prefers to work with countries such as Slovakia or Hungary that “prioritize” national interests even if EU or NATO membership “poses some challenges.” The Russian Foreign Ministry quoted Lavrov stating, "In this regard, we highly appreciate the ability of Prime Minister (Robert) Fico and his government to express their own views on the situation in the world."