Members of the Government met with their Slovak counterparts. They discussed regional cooperation and energy security

Energy security, support and reconstruction of Ukraine and regional relations. These are just some of the topics discussed by the Czech and Slovak government representatives at the bilateral meeting. The joint meeting in a closer format, which took place on Monday, 3 April 2023 in Trenčín, Slovakia, was historically the eighth joint meeting of government representatives of the two countries.

In his introductory speech, Prime Minister Petr Fiala stressed the importance of these meetings. “The tradition of joint meetings of governments is one of the proofs of the exceptional relations and superior understanding that exists between our states and nations, which we value very much. And thanks to this, we can move forward together and can more effectively pursue our priorities,”he said, adding that strong Czech-Slovak cooperation is not only important for the two countries, but also anchors Central Europe.

At the joint meeting, Prime Ministers Petr Fiala and Eduard Heger discussed the current situation in Ukraine and defence cooperation. “We discussed the offer of the Czech L-39 NG trainer aircraft for the Slovak Armed Forces, which is a strategic project where cooperation between our companies and Slovak companies operating in the defence industry can take place,”Prime Minister Fiala outlined the conclusions of the meeting.

The cabinet chiefs also discussed the promotion of the competitiveness of the Czech and Slovak economies, regional cooperation in Central Europe, the Euro 7 emission standard and strengthening energy security. “The aim of both our countries is to seek joint projects that will enable us to ensure and strengthen energy security and secure reliable energy supplies in the long term,” described Prime Minister Fiala. According to him, it will be important for the Czech Republic in the near future to have capacities not only in the German LNG terminal in Lubmin.

The prime ministers also signed a joint statement (in Czech language), highlighting the close relations between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, examples of successful cooperation, but also the challenges that both countries are currently facing. “Through joint efforts, the Czech Republic and Slovakia want to contribute to maintaining stability and promoting prosperity not only in our countries, but also in Europe and in the wider community of democratic countries,” the statement reads.

Concurrently with the meeting of the prime ministers, separate meetings were held at which the ministers of both governments discussed the issues under the responsibility of their respective ministries. The outcomes of these meetings were subsequently the subject of a final joint meeting. “The fact that the meeting was held in the format of selected ministers allowed us to focus on the most important issues and to seek good common solutions,” added Prime Minister Fiala.

On behalf of the Czech government, along with Prime Minister Fiala, Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalisation and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš, Minister of Defence Jana Černochová, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský, Minister of Justice Pavel Blažek, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Vladimír Balaš and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Petr Třešňák were also present at the meetings.

After the official part of the meeting, Prime Ministers Petr Fiala and Eduard Heger visited the exhibition Czech/Slovak Moments, which was prepared by press agencies from both countries. The exhibition contains 130 unique photographs and is held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the break-up of Czechoslovakia and the establishment of the independent Czech and Slovak Republics.

This is the eighth time that a joint meeting of the Czech and Slovak governments has taken place. After three years, the tradition started in 2012, when the cabinets of the two countries met in Uherské Hradiště and Trenčín, was renewed. The last joint meeting so far took place in 2019 in Valtice, a tradition subsequently dampened by the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic.