Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Monday rejected a call from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to resume joint negotiations between the Czech and Slovak cabinets. According to him, the current cooperation at the ministerial level is sufficient. TASR reports this based on a report by the ČT24 station.

Fiala also rejected the claim that he was interfering in Slovakia's internal affairs by calling on Fico not to block the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia.

In a letter on Monday, the Slovak Prime Minister asked his Czech counterpart to respect"Slovak national-state interests" in an effort to obtain guarantees of sufficient natural gas at reasonable prices even after 2028. He also suggested that the Slovak and Czech governments hold joint negotiations as soon as possible.

"We have combined the proposal for the 18th sanctions package with the European Commission's proposal to stop any supplies of Russian gas from January 1, 2028, and we ask the relevant players to provide the necessary guarantees to Slovakia that after January 1, 2028, Slovakia will have enough gas at reasonable prices. This is a Slovak national-state interest. I ask you to respect it," Fico wrote in the letter.

Invitation to a meeting

He also pointed out that, like Fiala, he holds the same opinion about the close relationship between the Slovak and Czech Republics."The best answer to unnecessary nervousness in the international space would be a joint meeting of the governments of the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic, to which I invite you to the territory of the Slovak Republic as soon as possible," Fico added.