Paris, 5 March 2001.- The President of the WEU Assembly – the interim European Security and Defence Assembly – Klaus BÜHLER, held political talks with leading representatives of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava on 22 and 23 February 2001. He exchanged views with Foreign Minister KUKAN, Defence Minister FIGEL, Deputy President of Parliament ANDEL and the President of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations WEISS.
 
The talks focused on the concerns of the Slovak authorities that the new ESDP decision-making structures will not give the Slovak Republic the same degree of political involvement as it enjoyed in the WEU. It was noted in particular that the participation of the Slovak Republic in the police advisory mission in Albania (MAPE) to which the Slovak Government is a budget contributor, will be considerably reduced after the transfer of the mission to the EU. It was generally agreed that the Slovak commitment to European security and defence should be fully reflected in the European security structures. President BÜHLER supported the initiative of the Slovak Republic to join the Western European Armaments Group (WEAG) as an important step towards enhancing ever-closer cooperation between the WEU/EU and the Slovak Republic.