On March 13, 2017, the top officials of the International Investment Bank (IIB), led by the Chairman of the Board Nikolay Kosov, held working consultations with the official representatives of the Slovak Republic on a wide range of issues regarding further expansion of the IIB’s operations in the country.

Slovakia was represented by the Head of the SR delegation in the IIB Council, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of the SR, Mrs. Dana Meager, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the SR, Lukáš Parízek, H.E. Peter Priputen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the SR to the Russian Federation, the Chairman of EXIMBANKA SR, Mr. Dušan Keketi, and other officials.

Mr. Kosov welcomed Mrs. Meager’s new capacity with the IIB – as the head of the SR delegation in the Bank’s Council and called for proactive use of existing and search for new viable opportunities to increase the Slovakian pipeline, focusing on the principal importance to further strengthen the Republic’s position as one of the leading member states, that offers comprehensive support for the Bank.

A detailed and open exchange of views was held on the Bank’s ongoing and upcoming investment projects in Slovakia, the activities of the European Regional Office in Bratislava, the country’s portfolio of export-import and treasury operations. Specifically, the parties discussed issues of shareholders’ support for the IIB and its the specific forms, which is crucial to ensure efficient implementation of the Bank’s next strategy of growth that envisages a significant increase of assets and a loan portfolio by 2022.

On his part, Mr. Parízek appraised positively the IIB’s reform during the recent years, its activities in Slovakia, where the Bank is already well known, and stressed its country's interest in more active use of the IIB’s resources to support public investment projects in its member states, including Russia. The Bank’s potential to provide financial support for Slovakian deals (as well as for deals made by any other member state) in the non-member countries was also assessed as very promising.

Slovakian representatives noted the importance of additional foreign investment’s attraction to the SR and expanding financing for the foreign trade operations, which involve local companies. In this regard, the Chairman of EXIMBANKA SR expressed his satisfaction on the implementation of ongoing joint projects and confirmed its readiness to expand the future pipeline, which could be down with participation of other export credit agencies from the Bank’s member states. A cooperation with Slovak users of the Bank’s Trade Finance Support Programme (TFSP) is another priority.

Slovakia is one of the member states of the IIB, which has been among most active supporters of the institution’s relaunch back in 2012, including by making an additional contribution to its capital.