In brief

• Slovak President Peter Pellegrini visited Paris for the Paris Peace Forum and a bilateral meeting with Emmanuel Macron.
• The leaders discussed energy, nuclear power, aerospace cooperation and Ukraine.
• Pellegrini moved his trip by a day and will visit Poland on 12 November.

Visit schedule

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini travelled to France to take part in the ninth edition of the Paris Peace Forum, which was set to open on Tuesday, 10 November, at the National Maritime Museum in Paris (Pellegrini v utorok odcestuje na Parížske mierové fórum, stretne sa aj s Macronom – HNonline.sk). The programme included a plenary session of the Summit on Children, a discussion on the future of artificial intelligence and a meeting with representatives of the Slovak community abroad. The visit was later moved so that the Slovak president arrived a day later, on Wednesday, 11 November (Pellegrini v Paríži bilaterálne rokoval s prezidentom Macronom – TASR / TERAZ.sk) (Prezident odcestuje v stredu do Francúzska, vo štvrtok navštívi Poľsko – TASR / TERAZ.sk). Because of the change, he also missed a planned wreath-laying at the statue of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik in Meudon.

Talks with Macron

On Wednesday, Pellegrini met Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris for a bilateral meeting (Pellegrini rokoval v Paríži s Macronom. Riešili odstrihnutie cien energií od plynu aj jadrovú energetiku – HNonline.sk). The agenda covered energy, the aerospace and defence industries, the situation in Ukraine and the protection of young people from social media and the harmful effects of digital technology. Pellegrini said Slovakia and France share a long friendship and a strong strategic partnership, and that the two countries could deepen cooperation in energy, the economy and security.

Nuclear energy and energy prices

The two presidents discussed nuclear power. Pellegrini said Slovakia and France are on the same path in this area and that France could be a partner for supplies of nuclear fuel. He also argued that electricity prices should not be tied to the price of natural gas, because Slovakia does not depend on gas for power generation.

Aerospace cooperation

Pellegrini said France is strong in the aerospace industry and is interested in supplying some components to Slovakia. He added that a contract for the delivery of three units had been signed recently.

Next stop in Poland

On Thursday, 12 November, Pellegrini is due in Poland, where he will attend the Poznań Economic Congress as a guest of honour and speak at a digital forum of the Three Seas Initiative (Pellegrini zajtra odcestuje do Francúzska, vo štvrtok navštívi Poľsko. Stretne sa s Macronom aj Nawrockým – HNonline.sk). He will also meet Polish President Karol Nawrocki at Rogalin Palace, with talks expected to cover Slovak-Polish relations, EU enlargement, energy security and aid to Ukraine over the coming winter and its post-war reconstruction.