Juraj Blanár (born 16 May 1966) is a Slovak politician. He is currently the minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia. He served as a

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the National Council from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2010 to 2023. From 2020 to 2023 he was a Deputy Speaker of the National Council. Between 2005 and 2017 he served as the governor of the

Žilina Region The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...

. He is a member of the

Direction – Social Democracy Direction may refer to: *Relative direction, for instance left, right, forward, backwards, up, and down ** Anatomical terms of location for those used in anatomy ** List of ship directions *Cardinal direction Mathematics and science *Direction ...

party.

Early life

Juraj Blanár was born on 16 May 1966 in

Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...

. He studied at the

University of Žilina The University of Žilina was established on 1 October 1953 as the College of Railways in Praha, Slovakia, Prague. In 1959, the institution changed its name to the University of Transport and moved to Žilina. As a result of the increasing role ...

. Before starting his political career, Blanár worked for the construction company Váhostav in his hometown.

Political positions

Foreign policy

Regarding the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Blanár opposes military help for Ukraine and supports improving diplomatic relations with Russia. He was one of the few Slovak MPs who did not vote for a parliamentary resolution condemning Russian killings of Ukrainian civilians passed after the

Bucha massacre The Bucha massacre ( uk, Бучанська різанина, Buchanska rizanyna) was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians by Russian Armed Forces during the fight for and occupation of the Ukrainian city of Bucha amid the Russian invasi ...

. In 2022, then Foreign Affairs minister of Slovakia

Ivan Korčok Ivan Korčok (born 4 April 1964) is a Slovak politician. He served as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the Matovič Cabinet led by Prime Minister Igor Matovič from April 2020 until his resignation in late March 2021. He was appoint ...

accused Blanár of supporting Russian conquest of Ukraine. In January 2022, Blanár strongly opposed the defense agreement with the United States, arguing that it will eventually lead to US bases on Slovak soil.

Social issues

Blanár is

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

and supported initiatives aimed at reducing access to adoption in Slovakia. In March 2023, on the question of closure of shops on

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

s, Blanár spoke in favour of the ban with conditions.

Personal life

Blanár is married and has three children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanár, Juraj People from Žilina Direction – Social Democracy politicians 1966 births Living people Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2002-2006 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2010-2012 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2016–2020 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2012-2016 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2020–2023 21st-century Slovak politicians University of Žilina alumni