The Minister of Culture of Slovakia, Martina Šimkovičová, has allowed previously banned cultural cooperation with Russia and Belarus.

This information was reported by Pravda.sk.

The decision to ban any communication or cooperation with Russia and Belarus was made in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, by the then Slovak Minister of Culture, Natália Milanová.

Now, the publication has obtained the directive from the current minister dated January 12, which lifts this ban. The decision came into effect on January 15.

"In the world, there are dozens of military conflicts, and, in our opinion, artists and culture should not pay the price for this," said Šimkovičová in a comment to the publication.