There is no need to keep talking about good relations between Slovakia and Germany since they are traditionally so, President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič said at the beginning of his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Guido Westerwelle.

“Germany is our most important business partner as well as a key investor in our economy. The relations between our economies were strengthened even more after the accession of Slovakia to the EU. We wish Germany that its economy recovers, because if Germany is doing well, our economy which is closely connected with the German market is doing well too,” Mr Gašparovič said. The President also discussed with the Minister the idea of establishing joint armed forces in Europe.

Mr Westerwelle highlighted good bilateral relations and added that “the EU is not an exclusive club of large countries only and therefore such countries must also cooperate with medium and smaller European ones.” The Minister described the joint forces of the Allies in Afghanistan as exemplary cooperation.

Both officials also touched upon the problematic development after the elections in Ukraine, as well as the position of the German national minority in Slovakia, where Guido Westerwelle expressed gratitude for exemplary care provided to German citizens who live in Slovakia.