Slovakia to work hard to keep EU united: Slovak President

Slovakia will work hard to keep the European Union(EU) united during its Presidency of the Council of the EU and thereafter, Slovak President Andrej Kiska said on Thursday.

In his speech delivered at the Presidential Palace to members of the European Commission College, Kiska said the presidency is a historic moment for Slovakia. Slovakia will take over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1.

"I sincerely wish to see the EU in a better condition and a more cheerful spirit in six months, when Slovakia will be handing over the presidency to Malta," he said.

He then went on to say that he wished Slovakia to assume the EU presidency in less turbulent times, and expressed regret over the result of the referendum on Britain's exit from the EU. Nonetheless, according to Kiska, growing nationalist sentiments in individual EU countries are frequently being fed by emotions and myths.

Citing polls, Kiska stressed that a "safe majority" of Slovaks currently wouldn't vote for their country leaving the EU.

"Nevertheless, they wouldn't decide this way because they believed that the EU is a good project, but because they viewed Slovakia's exit as too risky and costly. So, it's necessary to revive people's enthusiasm for the so-called European project, which is a task for political leaders," pointed out Kiska.

Juncker in his following speech praised Slovakia for a "warm welcome".

"We're in the palace of a real European nation," he told Kiska, describing the Slovak president as a European in both head and heart.

Juncker described the beginning of Slovakia's EU presidency as a historical moment that will, apart from other things, boost its people's knowledge of the EU. Enditem