At the EU diplomats’ video conference on the Middle East, Slovakia called for de-escalation

Bratislava/Brussels – State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Marek Eštok represented Slovakia on Tuesday at an informal video conference of foreign ministers of the member states of the European Union, convened in connection with the escalation between Israel and Iran. TASR was informed about this by the communication department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs.

Ministers and state secretaries at the video conference called for urgent de-escalation and the search for a diplomatic solution. They unanimously emphasized that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, as well as the need to return to diplomatic negotiations on the nuclear agreement. The need for EU unity and the importance of supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resonated in the statements of individual states.

Eštok, in his speech, pointed out the economic impact of the conflict and suggested postponing the discussion on the European Commission’s REPower EU plan to ban the import of Russian energy by the end of 2027 to a later date, so as not to jeopardize the energy security and competitiveness of the Slovak Republic, as well as the entire European Union.

Several member states simultaneously appreciated Slovakia’s professional and rapid assistance in evacuating their citizens from Israel and Jordan, which is being carried out these days in cooperation with the ministries of defense and interior. “This is a logistically challenging operation, during which we are helping our partners from several countries, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, but also Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, or Spain, Slovenia, and others,” Eštok explained.

The situation in the Middle East began to escalate after Israel attacked Iran on the night of Friday, June 13. Iran retaliated with strikes. Israel justified its unprecedented attacks on Iran by stating that it wants to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently denied this intention. (June 17)