Slovakia – Visit by Jean-Yves Le Drian (Bratislava, 18 April 2019)
Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is visiting Bratislava today, April 18, to take part in a meeting with his counterparts from the Visegrad Group (V4). The Visegrad Group is a forum for cooperation created in 1991 between Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Slovakia currently holds the presidency of the Visegrad Group.
Together with his counterparts, the minister will address current international and European issues. The discussions will provide an opportunity to underscore the importance of European unity and solidarity in a complex international environment. Jean-Yves Le Drian will notably discuss the prospects for cooperation in the Sahel in support of the stabilization of the region and development, the strengthening of European defense and the need for the EU to affirm its interests and sovereignty vis à vis its main partners.
Jean-Yves Le Drian will also have a bilateral meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajcak, whom he had received in Paris in December. The two ministers will notably discuss the Slovak chairmanship of the OSCE, the strategic agenda for the next European institutional cycle and the development of bilateral relations within the framework of the French-Slovak strategic partnership.
The minister will also take stock, together with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, of French-Hungarian relations and issues of common interest at the European level.
Lastly, Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet with the French community in Slovakia at the premises of the French school in Bratislava.