Opposition parties held a roundtable discussion convened by SaS on Wednesday to talk about the defense of Slovakia and Europe. According to Juraj Krúpa, a member of parliament (SaS), they reached consensus on three key issues—defense spending, the development of external defense capabilities, and the enhancement of the country’s internal defense. However, the conclusions of the discussion will not be made public until after their meeting with President Peter Pellegrini. The representatives of the opposition parties made this statement after the meeting.
"We have reached an agreement that the opposition parties will present to the president. We have agreed on certain principles and positions that are important and fundamental to us," Krúpa said.
Viliam Karas, a representative of the Christian Democratic Movement and former Minister of Justice, believes that national security issues must be addressed across the political spectrum. He called on all political parties to adopt consensus-based positions that are agreed upon at a roundtable with both the opposition and the coalition. He added that Slovakia must spend its defense budget effectively and push its partners to invest the same amount as Slovakia.
"The question is not how much we necessarily need (for defense spending), the question is to ensure there is agreement among political elites, because if one side pulls to the left and the other to the right, and there is confusion, we won’t get anywhere," Karas explained.
Gábor Grendel, a member of parliament from Slovakia, Za ľudí, and KÚ, believes it is crucial for the opposition to send a clear signal that they care about the country’s future. He appreciated the SaS initiative to call the meeting of opposition parties. According to Grendel, the problem in Slovakia is not insufficient funding for the Ministry of Defense but inefficient spending within the department. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the current minimum defense expenditure—2% of GDP—is invested transparently and effectively. He again criticized the current military purchases, arguing that they should not be strategic investments without proper tenders to the extent seen today. "It is crucial that those 2% of GDP are spent on truly necessary things," he added.
Pavel Macko, chairman of the extra-parliamentary ODS - Civic Democrats of Slovakia, confirmed that there is broad consensus in the opposition but acknowledged that the coalition also has a role to play. He expects that government politicians will begin to understand the need for practical politics. According to Macko, Slovakia should be at the table when discussing Europe’s new defense policy.
Source: TASR
