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The first day of the working visit of the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel and Mrs. Eva to the Slovak Republic, March 13, 2023, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Bratislava – Czech President Petr Pavel, accompanied by Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, honored the founders of the Czechoslovak Republic (Czechoslovak Republic) Tomáš Garrigu Masaryk and Milan Rastislav Štefánik by laying wreaths today. Pavel arrived in the morning to visit Slovakia, which is his first trip abroad after taking office.
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Photo gallery: President Petr Pavel in Slovakia
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After a joint meeting and lunch, the Presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia first visited the Czechoslovak statehood monument and the statue of T. G. Masaryk on the square of the same name on the Danube embankment. There, Pavel also met compatriots who commemorate the anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia every year on October 28 in this square.
Subsequently, Čaputová and Pavel visited the Štefánik statue, which is also located on the Danube embankment, near the building of the Slovak National theater and about a kilometer from the Masaryk statue.
After the morning meeting, both Pavel and Čaputová praised the relations between the two countries in front of journalists, which they described as above-standard, friendly and positive.
The Czech Republic was founded in 1918, and since 1993 the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been functioning as independent states.
The Czech president will remain in Slovakia until Tuesday, when he has a scheduled meeting with the Speaker of the Slovak Parliament Boris Kollár and a meeting with young personalities from non-governmental organizations.
Presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic they are considering joint journeys and cooperation against disinformation
The presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia are considering joint foreign trips, among the first to war-torn Ukraine. He also sees opportunities for closer cooperation between the two countries in the fight against disinformation, among other things. This follows from the statement of the new Czech President Petr Pavel and his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Čaputová after a joint meeting in Bratislava, where Pavel arrived today on his first trip abroad as head of state.
Pavel said that he intends to coordinate his planned April visit to Ukraine with Čaputová. “I am glad that Mr. President came up with this offer. I am very happy to go on such a trip,” said Čaputová, who visited Ukraine last June.
According to Čaputová, joint trips abroad can strengthen common interests.
Pavel described the relations between the two countries as above standard. He also appreciated the common view on a number of problems. At the same time, he pointed out that both countries face the same problems, which arise mainly from the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, they affect not only the economic but also the social situation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He emphasized that it will depend on how politicians remind citizens of the values on which both countries stand. He said that clearly pointing out that the enemy is not inside but beyond the eastern borders will also be important. He added that if Russia's aggressive policy is given room by reducing support for Ukraine, it will result in problems that will be much more serious in the future.
The president identified the information war as a major challenge. “Our intelligence services openly talk about the influence of Russia in terms of disinformation on the territory of the Slovak Republic. We are very vulnerable. The influence of disinformation is obvious. We can imagine closer cooperation between our countries in this area as well,” said Čaputová. She added that the amount of disinformation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is eroding the cohesion of society, which is inevitable for crisis management.
The head of the Slovak state thanked the Czech Republic for commanding the multinational NATO unit in Slovakia and for participating together with Poland on the protection of Slovakia's airspace.
Čaputová also said that she shares many common opinions and values with Pavel. “This is the best basis for further cooperation, which we have agreed on in several areas. We both grew up in the time of Czechoslovakia and today we can celebrate together the very friendly, positive and constructive relations of two separate states,” she said.
The president pointed out that Slovakia has not yet strengthened the rights of people other than heterosexual orientation, for example following the example of the Czech Republic. “I am sorry that we do not have effective legislation in Slovakia that would guarantee the possibility of registered partnerships. Instead of providing this community with at least a minimum standard of rights, this minority becomes the subject of political attacks and political struggle,” she said.
Čaputová also said that there is concern about the future of Slovakia's foreign policy orientation and the continuation of its assistance to Ukraine. In this context, she called the maintenance of the country's pro-Western orientation after the early parliamentary elections in September important. The two most popular parties in the country, the Direction-Social Democracy of former Prime Minister Robert Fico and the Voice-Social Democracy of former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, do not hold such strong pro-European and pro-Atlantic positions as the incumbent government, and Fico, above all, opposes the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Pavel said that it is necessary to explain to the public what a secure future consists of and that the enemy is the current form of Russia and its regime.
President Pavel perceives the V4 format more as a consultation forum
Currently, President Petr Pavel perceives the Visegrad Four more as a consultation forum that has no ambitions for detailed coordination of foreign or security policy. He sees scope for extending cooperation to the Baltic countries as well. Pavel said this at a press conference after today's meeting with Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová in Bratislava. Both are counting on a joint trip to Ukraine in April.
Pavel noted that he never hid his skepticism regarding the effectiveness of the Visegrad grouping of countries, which, in addition to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, also includes Poland and Hungary. Hungary's stance on the war in Ukraine has recently caused contradictions.
The Czech president said that in the past he expressed the opinion that the V4 will have to seriously consider what content to fill the cooperation with. At the same time, he added that he is opposed to canceling with the stroke of a pen something that has already had its effect. the four didn't even serve,” said Pavel. However, he can imagine a space for consultation and cooperation in a number of areas, such as economic, commercial and cultural. He sees potential in possible closer cooperation between the V4 and the Baltic countries.
Pavel also commented on the planned visit to Ukraine. He and President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed by phone on Sunday that they would plan the trip for April. He would like to coordinate it with Čaputová as well. He did not want to elaborate on the specific promises with which he could go to Ukraine. He only added that he already had consultations with, for example, the army.
Čaputová repeated that she would very much like to take part in a joint trip to Ukraine and that the idea for the visit arose at the same time in Prague and Bratislava.
