Slovakia calls for swift end to war without violating Ukraine's territorial integrity – Blanár
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Juraj Blanár is convinced that the Russian war must end as soon as possible in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, without violating Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"From the very beginning, the Slovak Republic has clearly stated that, in our view, this conflict has no military solution and must be resolved through diplomatic means. Therefore, we support all peace efforts and offer our capabilities to be part of the peace negotiations," Blanár said at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Vinnytsia on Friday.
The ministers also discussed Ukraine's proposal for the EU to take a more active role in the peace process.
"We believe this is how it should have been from the very beginning. And that is precisely why we will support all these initiatives. How this will develop depends on the discussions among EU leaders at the European Council meeting. But the time has simply come. I want to make it absolutely clear that our goal is crystal clear: a peaceful, sustainable solution that complies with international law and does not violate territorial integrity within recognized borders," Blanár said.
According to him, for the Slovak Republic, the most important safeguard is compliance with international law, "which, unfortunately, as we see today, is not being observed, especially by major powers."
"That is precisely why we insist on this, because otherwise we will not be able to protect ourselves. And this is our consistent position, which the minister is also aware of: to this day, we are one of five countries that, for example, have not recognized Kosovo, because we believe that this also constitutes a violation of Serbia's territorial integrity. And we are also promoting this in relation to peace talks and peace, which must be achieved through stable means so that this war never happens again," the minister said.
In the context of European integration, Blanár said Ukraine "has a tremendous opportunity to become a state that not only shares the values we hold but will also be integrated through the legal system and all the mechanisms that will allow us to develop greater economic cooperation in the future." He said Slovakia is ready to assist in the negotiations, as it has experience.
"So, at the next meeting [of the EU], where a decision is to be made on the start of accession negotiations, particularly regarding the most important point, namely the "Fundamentals" cluster, the Slovak Republic is ready, based on a positive report and screening, to support Ukraine, as well as Moldova, in this process," Blanár said.
At the same time, he emphasized that it is very important for Slovakia that the war end as soon as possible, so that the situation stabilizes and Ukraine becomes a prosperous democratic country.