Slovak top envoy Juraj Blanar to visit PH on Nov. 12-15, 2026

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Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanar will be in the Philippines from November 12 to 15 for an official visit.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said this marks the first official visit by a Slovak foreign minister to the Philippines since 2015.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro will hold a bilateral meeting and luncheon with Blanar on Thursday, November 12.

Blanar and Lazaro are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation in political and economic relations as well as people-to-people ties.

The two officials will also exchange views on regional and international issues.

DFA said this marks the third meeting between Lazaro and Blanar, who also met at the 4th European Union Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Brussels last November 2025.

They also met during the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations — European Union (ASEAN-EU) Ministerial Meeting in April 2026 in Brunei.

Blanar will keynote the Philippine-Slovak Business Forum on Friday, November 13.

Traveling with a business delegation, the Slovak official will also meet with Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque to discuss joint efforts to enhancd trade and investment between the countries.

Blanar will officially open the Slovak Embassy in Manila and sign the Declaration of the Deposit of the Slovak Republic's Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

The DFA said the accession provides a framework for stronger Slovak engagement with ASEAN in line with the country's Strategic Concept on the Indo-Pacific, which was launched in 2025.

There are around 3,600 Filipinos in Slovakia. In 2025, bilatetal trade between the two nations amounted to $29.74 million. — VDV, GMA News