BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Our main priority is to integrate water policy into the framework of international relations, Tomas Taraba, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment of Slovakia, told reporters on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Trend reports.
Slovakia is well-known within the European Union as a country with extensive experience in the field of water management. We do not experience water scarcity at present, and we possess significant expertise in delivering high-quality water to cities.
He noted that Slovakia's priority is to share its knowledge in this area, support local communities, and contribute to ensuring sufficient resources for sustainable water management.
"Therefore, our main priority is to integrate water policy into the framework of international relations," Taraba said.
The deputy prime minister emphasized that Azerbaijan and Slovakia enjoy high-level bilateral relations.
"The climate agenda is a top priority for us, and international relations can only be advanced through mutual cooperation, especially on global challenges like climate change. There can be no isolated solution for any individual country. We can only overcome these challenges together. Today, urbanization is under severe pressure from new standards. We are significantly raising regulatory standards within the European Union, but Slovakia is a country guided by common sense, and we openly state that not every proposed solution is effective. This is because quite often, by focusing exclusively on certain climate policies, we inadvertently create economic hardship for vulnerable populations globally. Therefore, it is critical to find the right balance," the Slovak official concluded.
