The Diplomat
Slovak Ambassador Juraj Tomaga yesterday stressed that Slovak-Spanish cooperation in providing ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is one of the major contributions to Ukraine’s ability to drive out the Russian invader.
Tomaga made this statement in the presence of the Ukrainian ambassador in Madrid, Sergi Pohoreltsev, during the reception he hosted at his residence to celebrate the celebration of Slovakia’s Constitution Day.
The Slovak Ambassador recalled that it was thirty years since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Spain and said that at that time it was difficult to think that the two countries would be partners and allies in institutions such as the EU, NATO or the OECD.
In the context of bilateral relations, he highlighted the economic aspect, stressing that Spain is Slovakia’s twelfth largest trading partner and that there are investments in both directions. He highlighted the sponsorship of the event by four Slovak companies operating in Spain, such as Transmesa, from the iron and steel sector and with three plants in Catalonia; ESET Spain, a start-up company that created the NOD antivirus programme; Sensoneo, which has installed almost 11,000 sensors for containers in Madrid; and the cooperation between the Granada-based company FMG and the Slovak company MSM Group.
Regarding the latter, he stressed that they cooperate “in what is currently most needed: ammunition”. Addressing the Ukrainian ambassador, he said that “this Slovak-Spanish cooperation is currently one of the greatest contributions to Ukraine’s ability to expel the aggressive invader to its own country”. “I underline and reiterate – he said – respect for the will of the Ukrainian people to defend our values. I would add, just one thing, it is not war in Ukraine, it is war against Ukraine”.
On the other hand, he highlighted the presence of seven bilingual schools in Slovakia “which makes us – he pointed out – the country in our environment with the highest presence of the Spanish language in proportion per inhabitant”. He indicated that, each year, almost 1,200 students finish their studies and added that this represents a wise investment by Spain for the future.
He also reported that the Slovak community in Spain is about 12,000 people, and said that bilateral relations are being strengthened in all areas.
The ambassador, who is also accredited in Andorra and Morocco, had a few words for the representatives of that country, expressing his sympathy for the grief caused by the loss of life in the recent earthquake.
The reception was attended by most of the European ambassadors, as well as those of countries from other geographical areas, such as Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Oman, Australia, Canada, Kenya, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, among others.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was represented by the Director General for Western, Central and Southeast Europe, Raquel Gómez-Cambronero, and the Ambassadors’ Introducer, María Sebastián de Erice. The Director of the Elcano Royal Institute, Charles Powell, also attended.
