Slovakia, Netherlands agree on EU presidency cooperation
Xinhua, June 2, 2016 Adjust font size:
Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak and his Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders on Thursday signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation during Slovakia's six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) on Thursday.
Slovakia takes over the rotating presidency from the Netherlands.
"As the network of our diplomatic missions isn't identical, in some countries Dutch diplomats will continue to carry out presidency duties on our behalf, and, vice-versa, we'll represent them at some working levels," said Lajcak.
Dutch specialists will assist Slovakia in fields such as environmental issues involving seas, oceans, internal and external fisheries policy.
"We've an interest in cooperation with Slovakia, and what we've signed today is confirmation of our good cooperation, our willingness to be part of Europe and to deal with the issues that we are currently facing together," added Koenders.
Slovakia inked a similar agreement with Malta, which is set to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU from Slovakia as of January 2017. According to the agreement, Malta will represent Slovakia in the areas of fisheries and maritime policy, while Slovakia will help Malta during its presidency concerning nuclear issues, agriculture and veterinary medicine. Enditem