Parliament Chairman did not discuss speech with MFA

Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS) did not discuss the content of the speech delivered in Moscow on Monday with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the ministry spokesperson Peter Susko to the TASR press agency. At the International Forum for the Development of Parliamentarism in Moscow, Danko criticised economic sanctions against Russia, saying they are not and never will be the solution. He added that only an open dialogue, friendship, love and understanding can solve any problems. He also warned against the "spreading of unverified information that threatens security" and added that real politics is not done on the internet or on Facebook but at meetings like that in Moscow. However, Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák (a Smer-SD nominee) said last year that he was uncomfortable with the fact that top-level constitutional officials felt no need to consult with his Ministry in advance regarding foreign affairs-related speeches delivered abroad. He did so in connection with Danko's speech in the Russian State Duma and with a speech given by President Andrej Kiska in European Parliament.