Czechia cancels intergovernmental consultations with Slovaks

The Czech government has cancelled intergovernmental consultations with the Slovak government, scheduled to take place in late April and early May. One of the reasons behind the move is last week's meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Czech Premier Petr Fiala said on Wednesday.

Mr. Fiala said the Czech government doesn’t consider it appropriate to hold intergovernmental consultations with the Slovak government in the next few weeks or months. Mr. Fiala said that while the government is aware of the close ties between Czechia and Slovakia, it is impossible to hide the fact that there are significant differences of opinion on some key foreign policy issues.

In reaction to the move, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused the Czech government of jeopardizing relations with Slovakia by supporting war in Ukraine, while Slovakia advocates for peace.