Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák left for Washington, D.C. on Sunday, September 20, to take part in talks with officials linked to U.S. foreign policy, the ministry’s spokesman Peter Stano told the TASR newswire. Lajčák will conclude his visit to the US by delivering a speech at the United Nations (UN) plenary session in New York on September 22.
"On Monday, the Slovak Minister will meet Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden, as well as Zbigniew Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter between 1977-81," said Stano, adding that Lajčák will also take part in roundtable discussions concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina during which he will share his experiences as the High Representative of the International Community for Bosnia and Herzegovina with representatives of the U.S. administration. Stano said that Lajčák will hold several sets of bilateral talks with his counterparts in New York on Tuesday, ending his trip with the speech at the UN.
Miroslav Lajčák met the chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Bratislava, Keith Eddins, on the morning of September 18, ministry spokesman Peter Stano said. The talks revolved around Lajčák's upcoming visit. Eddins raised the issue of Iran's nuclear programme, with Lajčák emphasising that the EU and the US must speak in unison and press Iran to meet the international community's demands that it should halt its programme of uranium enrichment and provide guarantees that it is not developing nuclear weapons.
Lajčák confirmed Slovakia's continued engagement in Afghanistan and its endeavours to contribute to the Asian country's stabilisation and recovery. He also noted the concerns that the US Congress's initiative to impose fees for entering the country have raised in Slovakia. Current Slovak-Hungarian relations were also addressed at the meeting, TASR wrote. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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