President Andrej Kiska, Speaker of the National Council Andrej Danko and Prime Minister Robert Fico met on Monday at Bratislava Castle for a meeting on the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic.

Together they signed a declaration on the priorities of the membership of the Slovak Republic in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

“I am actually very glad that we, as the highest constitutional officials, have agreed to prepare a joint statement on themes that are strategic and fundamental to our country: the themes of the European Union and our security, and our membership in the North Atlantic Alliance.

These themes are important for our country because it is the life of our people that is concerned. It is about prospects, the stability of our country, the future, the security of our citizens. I think it is highly important that we have the three highest constitutional officials ready at each and every opportunity, not only when meeting with our foreign partners but mainly at home for our citizens, to confirm the direction of our country. They confirm the values and alliances Slovakia is committed to.

Today we can no longer rely on a broad internal political consensus concerning the direction of Slovakia. On the contrary, there are stronger words against our integration. Anti-European policy has become part of electoral campaigns here at home and also in neighboring countries. Neither can we automatically rely on the support of public opinion. We have to be honest with people, to defend our commitments and always seek public support in our decisions.

It is our duty, the three of us, to show and persuade our citizens that we can only be a confident, influential and prosperous country within a strong and coherent European Union. And that every important and serious issue, such as economic, migration and security issues, cannot be solved by any single state of the European Union alone.

As President, I have always acted and spoken in this spirit since I entered office. Not every situation was simple or is simple. Even on difficult issues, like our commitment to increasing defense spending, in defending the European Union’s common approach following the annexation of Crimea, I have always publicly stood behind governmental decisions because it is in favor of our country as such.

I will also speak about the future of our country in the European Parliament in two weeks' time.  And I will also promote and explain our future in the European Union and our position during the official state visit of the President of Germany, who will come to Slovakia on 17 November.

I welcomed today’s meeting and also proposed to the President of the National Council and to the Prime Minister that we always meet before each important summit of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance. We do not always have the same opinion on internal political development, but we have to show our people that we stand together in matters of strategic interest for our country.

At the same time, I think that our ministers should be more aware of issues such as the European Prosecutor, our security, the issue of completing the single market, the banking union or as far as the tax and social agenda issues are concerned. Our Ministers should be heard. Some of our ministers have a truly amazing renown throughout the European Union, knowing how to defend these matters, and we need to hear them at home as well. The European Union is not just an, I would say, external affair of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but it is the everyday life of our citizens: truck drivers, carers, students, dual quality food, etc.

Finally, concerning our defense and security, people need to feel safe. It is the basic task of our state. We live in a complicated environment, and so I actually welcomed the government’s approval of a new security, defense and military strategy, and I believe that the Parliament will support it soon.

We need a transparent and effective modernization of our army. We need to improve Slovakia’s ability to fulfill its role within the North Atlantic Alliance, and we need the joint support of all three of us constitutional officials. I thus welcome the fact that my proposal to emphasize the significance of defense was also a part of our joint statement, and I am glad that the President of the National Council and the Prime Minister have agreed to this.