<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Slovakia's ambassador to Spain, Juraj Tomaga, said on Wednesday that his country fully supports Ukraine's entry into the EU and that "Russian aggression" highlights the urgent need for a European defence industry.</strong></h4> Tomaga made these statements during a reception held at his residence to commemorate Constitution Day, attended by Transport Minister Óscar Puente. Numerous guests were also present, including the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Amador Fernando Enseñat; the President of Renfe, Raúl Blanco; and numerous ambassadors, both from the European Union and from other parts of the world. In his speech, the ambassador recalled that it is 20 years since Slovakia joined the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance and underlined the presence of Spanish soldiers on Slovak soil, first with the Brilat Brigade and now with the Bripac, the parachute brigade, which has assumed command of NATO forces in Slovakia since July of this year. He therefore expressed his gratitude to the more than 700 Spanish soldiers deployed in Slovakia. Jurag Tomaga referred to the “Russian aggression against Ukraine”, pointing out that it represents “a flagrant violation of international law” and “awakened - he said - our urgent need for European autonomy of the defence industry, starting with ammunition”. Thus, he stressed that ammunition is precisely the main subject of cooperation with Spain, at the Ganada Ammunition Factory, belonging to the Slovak group MSN. The ambassador also indicated that his country fully supports Ukraine's entry into the European Union and also referred to the need to rebuild the country's infrastructure, "especially - he said - in the area of transport and energy connections." At this point, he recalled a recent visit by the president of Renfe to Slovakia and that the Slovak Minister of Transport will soon visit Spain. Tomaga recalled that Spain is Slovakia's twelfth commercial partner, that seven bilingual schools operate in his country, that 12,000 Slovaks live here and that the number of Erasmus students is growing, as well as commercial, tourist and cultural exchange. He also thanked the presence of the Slovak sponsoring companies: the aforementioned FMG Granada (founded 700 years ago), ESET Spain, Sensoneo or Sygic. He also thanked the honorary consuls of Slovakia in Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Zaragoza (Casablanca, Morocco) and, especially, Tenerife, to whom Francisco José Perera gave a distinction for his twenty years of work in the post. Next, Minister Oscar Puente spoke, who recalled a visit to Bratislava, when he was mayor of Valladolid, and pointed out that, in the future, in terms of transport, the two countries will have much to talk about, especially in terms of the reconstruction of Ukraine, when the war is over. [caption id="attachment_93606" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-93606 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Embajador-hablando-ok-2.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The Ambassador of Slovakia, Juraj Tomaga, welcomed the participants.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_93610" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-93610 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Corea-y-Afganistan-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> Ambassadors from Korea, Soosuk Lim, (left) and Afghanistan, Mohammad Rahim Peerzada.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_93612" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-93612 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Letonia-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The Ambassador of Latvia, Janis Zlamets, and the Deputy Chief Adviser, Gundega Pumpure.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_93614" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-93614 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Simona-Nueva-Zelanda-Turquia-y-Costa-Rica-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> Left: Dr. Simona Gresia, of Chiron Salud, and the ambassadors of New Zealand, Turkey and Costa Rica.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_93616" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-93616 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vietnam-y-Siria-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> Vietnam’s ambassador, Doan Thanh Song, along with the Syrian embassy’s Chargé d'affaires, Samir Al Kassir.[/caption]
