Slovakia cannot accept some of the demands of the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok said following an extraordinary meeting of Slovakia's Security Council on Tuesday. Korcok still sees room for a diplomatic solution. He and Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad concurred that the situation is extremely serious. Nad said that some 130,000 Russian soldiers are gathering near the Ukrainian borders, along with heavy military equipment, some of it within reach of Slovak territory.
"Among Russian demands are also things completely non-negotiable from our point of view. They would rewrite the entire security architecture and the world that Slovakia and other states joined in the post-1989 era," claimed Korcok, emphasizing that countries have a right to decide their own policies and which defence structures they wish to join.
Korcok stated that even though the current situation is the most serious of the last 30 years, it can still be addressed with the use of diplomacy. The chief of Slovak diplomacy underlined that military conflict looms only a few kilometres from Slovakia's borders. By articulating a clear stance on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its eastern neighbour, Slovakia is also defending its own principles.
Nad added that the Security Council will hold a session also on Wednesday (January 26), with its members set to be briefed by both intelligence services. "From the European continent's perspective, the situation is perhaps the worst since the end of World War Two," said Nad, pointing out that aside from soldiers, Russia is also amassing offensive military equipment on the Ukrainian border.
Both ministers warned that any form of conflict on the Ukrainian border might spell extensive consequences for Slovakia, due to the possibility of a large influx of war refugees.
Source: TASR
