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.
