Albares will travel to Slovakia to strengthen bilateral relations

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, travels to Slovakia this Monday to participate in the country’s Ambassadors' Conference and hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Juraj Blánar.  

This visit comes at a time of strengthening bilateral relations with a country with which Spain has also identified complementarity and synergies in key areas such as European affairs, tourism, defence and academic and scientific cooperation.

Bilateral relations between Spain and Slovakia are strong, as reflected by the visit of the Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juraj Blánar, to Spain in June 2025. On the economic front, Spanish companies have a significant presence in Slovakia, particularly in sectors such as the rail industry. 

Slovakia also has a strong interest in Spain. Slovak tourism to Spain has doubled over the last two years, making Spain the fourth most popular destination for Slovak travellers. Additionally, Spanish is the fourth most widely studied foreign language in the country, with a growing institutional presence that includes an Aula Cervantes in Bratislava, three AECID lectureships and seven bilingual sections with more than 2,500 students. 

The Slovak Ambassadors' Conference welcomes a guest of honour each year. Following the participation of the Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanja Fajon, last year, Minister Albares will further strengthen the event’s international dimension. The theme of this year’s conference is A global and humanistic foreign policy.

The country's Ambassadors' Conference has been held annually in Bratislava since 1995. Last year's edition, held from 26 to 28 May, brought together 67 ambassadors and firmly established the conference as the principal strategic forum for Slovak diplomacy. 

Following his participation in the Ambassadors' Conference, Minister Albares will travel to Lest, where Spain serves as the lead nation of the Multinational Brigade as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe. Spain’s presence on the ground consists of almost 900 Spanish Army personnel.