RIYADH: Ministers from Slovakia praised the Kingdom’s growth and discussed areas of possible future cooperation during a traditional Saudi dinner hosted on the sidelines of the World Defense Show in Riyadh.
Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Robert Kalinak told Arab News: “I have been really looking forward to this visit. Saudi Arabia has become a leader in the region — not only the region, but this part of the world, presenting stability, presenting peace, and especially development.”
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said: “I am honored to be (part of) the first official delegation from Slovakia to be here. It’s a big honor for me and my colleague, the minister of defense.”
Kalinak and Sutaj Estok visited the Kingdom with their delegation on Saturday.
The dinner was hosted at a private resort by Abdulrahman Al-Otaishan — a Saudi businessman and friend of Slovakia’s Embassy — who showcased traditional cuisine and culture.
Al-Otaishan said he was honored to host the delegation and he was later named an honorary consul of Slovakia.
Kalinak said: “Today we have a new honorary consul in Saudi Arabia. He has visited Slovakia many times so he knows Slovakia really well. He’s Saudi Arabian so this is a great idea of how we can further develop our relations.”
The defense minister said that naming an honorary consul from Saudi Arabia was another step toward strengthening relations between the two countries.
Sutaj Estok said: “We are at the beginning of something huge. I’m not afraid to say that this will be something huge and if you invest at the beginning it’s always better.
“There are a lot of beautiful people, (a) very friendly atmosphere, and I think this country has a lot of potential to grow, and from what I have seen until now I would like to come here (again).”
He added: “People that I met here are very similar to people in Slovakia: they are friendly and open-hearted.
“I have the feeling that I have been here for many years. This is very strange for me because we are absolutely different countries in a cultural way, but very close in the human way and I am very happy about this.”
Kalinak expressed his hope that the relationship between the countries will grow in future years.
He said: “I think we have a lot of space for collaboration and to develop new products.
“We would like to create a new relationship because there are some gaps in cooperation between our part of Europe and Saudi Arabia.”
