Pompeo came to Bratislava from Hungary as the first US Secretary of State to visit Slovakia since 1999. During his official visit, he met with Slovakia’s top representatives and visited the Gate of Freedom Memorial dedicated to victims of the so-called Iron curtain. He noted that he witnessed how bad Communism can be when he patrolled the Czechoslovak borders as a young soldier in the 1980s. According to Pompeo, Slovakia has never been as prosperous as it is now.
At his meeting with Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini, Pompeo stressed defense cooperation between the US and Slovakia. Recently, to modernize its army, Slovakia purchased Black Hawk helicopters from the US. Additionally, earlier in December last year, a contract worth 1.6 billion EUR for 14 most advanced F-16 fighter jets was signed between the two counties.
Slovakia is sensitive to EU-US trade relations, as they may have an impact on its economy as well, Pellegrini told the media. For example, Slovakia exports cars to the US and any additional import taxes and duties could damage the economy.
