President Zuzana Čaputová met with the minister of foreign affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Heiko Maas, during his visit to the Slovak Republic on 21 August 2020.  

Their main topic of their discussion was how countries can revitalise their economies after the COVID-19 pandemic. Germany currently holds the presidency of the European Union at a time when the largest ever aid package for Member States has just been approved. The president sees these funds as a huge opportunity for Slovakia to modernise its economy to be more efficient and more environmentally friendly. “This is a crucial moment for us, when we need to prioritise making and implementing a good plan for the use of these funds.”

On the question of the current situation in Belarus, the president and the minister agreed that it was unacceptable for a state to commit gross violations of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of its own citizens. In their view, it is up to the citizens of Belarus to decide freely and for themselves what direction their country should take and who should be its leader. 

At the meeting they also discussed the situation in Europe, in the V4 and in relations with Russia. Minister Maas said that he appreciated the opportunity to visit Slovakia on the day when it commemorated the sad anniversary of the Warsaw Pact armies’ invasion of Czechoslovakia.