Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas let it be known to the European Union that the two countries will continue to build their energy security on nuclear energy. This was said after a joint session of both cabinets in Uherské Hradište (the Czech Republic) on Monday, October 29.
"We agreed that we have a strong interest in developing the nuclear energy sector in the EU. We cannot do without a stable and affordable supply of electricity. This means that the continuation of nuclear energy both in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic is in our common interest," Nečas said.
"Not everyone in Europe likes it that Slovakia and the Czech Republic build their energy security on nuclear power plants,” said Fico, as quoted by the SITA newswire. “On the contrary, we believe there are countries that would prefer to put obstacles to that, which would be happy to see them closed. In Slovakia, we cannot imagine energy security without nuclear power plants.” He rejects the politicisation of the issue of nuclear power plant safety by political authorities of the EU. "We demand that our partners at the EU level and at the level of the European Commission objectively and fairly inform about the true situation with nuclear security in our countries. It is on a very high level," said Fico. "We have a common interest in a European way toward preventing further development of nuclear energy in the EU from being torpedoed," added Nečas.
The Slovak and Czech nations have helped each other not only when they were not free, but also in times of freedom and democracy, setting a good example, said Fico at the joint session, as quoted by the TASR newswire. "We Slovaks, and I'm saying this very frankly, usually relied on the Moravians and Czechs at times when our lives and survival were under threat. And at the same time, you knew that in the worst times, a close Slavic nation was living across the border whose nature and character is closest to yours in the Czech Republic. I want to emphasise this closeness today," said Fico.
Nečas said that he would welcome it if such bilateral government consultations took place on a regular basis in the future. Not only is this session symbolic, its content is also practical, said Nečas, pointing to the economic ties between the two countries. "Slovakia is our second most important business partner [behind Germany]," he said, highlighting the opportunities for joint projects.
(Source: SITA, TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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