BRATISLAVA, October 4, (WEBNOVINY) –Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic plans to focus on the development of cooperation between Bratislava and Kiev during his four-day state visit to Ukraine. The head of state embarks on the visit on Tuesday. His office informed that Economy Minister Juraj Miskov, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Milan Jezovica and a group of business leaders will accompany the president in Kiev.
Gasparovic’s Kiev itinerary includes a meeting with Ukrainian head of state Viktor Yanukovich. He will also talk with Speaker of Parliament Volodymyr Litvinov and Foreign Minister Konstantyn Hrytsenko. The presidents are to open a Slovak-Ukrainian business forum in Kiev. Gasparovic will lay wreaths at the memorial of 1932-33 famine victims and at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier fallen in WWII. The president will also visit the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and meet the chairman of the Crimean Council of Ministers Vasyl Dzarty.
The president is to sign two bilateral agreements in Kiev regarding cancellation of consular fees and air transport services.
Relations between Slovakia and Ukraine are problem-free while both countries wish to intensify their economic ties with the most prospective fields being energy, metallurgy, mining, transport, automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical industry and food industry. For Slovakia, a priority is to advance from the exchange of goods and services to establishment of joint ventures. Another priority for Slovakia is guaranteeing security of unhindered transit of natural gas and crude oil via the territory of Ukraine. The current corridor for transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine and Slovakia is of extreme significance for both Bratislava and Kiev and it is in the interest of both countries to maintain this state and secure reliability of gas and crude oil transport via both countries.
SITA