Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is not concerned about a potential deterioration in relations with partners in the European Union (EU) and NATO with respect to his recent trip to Moscow for the celebrations marking the end of WW2.
Speaking at his regular Sunday press conference, Fico instead criticized the Baltic states' refusal to allow his aircraft to fly through their airspace to Moscow, which forced him to change his route.
"Such things are inappropriate between partners," said the Prime Minister, who believes the flight ban was intended to sabotage his trip. "It couldn’t stop me — I had several route options," Fico underlined.
Fico again lambasted remarks made by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. "She’s not my superior; she has no right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do," Fico declared. He emphasized that during his bilateral talks in Moscow, he obtained important information that European diplomacy could already be working with — whether it concerns the initiative to organize direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, or the development of trade relations between the U.S. and China.
During his working visit to Moscow, Fico held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed strong disagreement with the policy of the so-called new Iron Curtain, which Fico believes is forming between the European Union and the Russian Federation.
According to Fico, Slovakia is prepared to continue maintaining and restoring Red Army memorials and military cemeteries on its soil. He stated that Slovakia wants to "build bridges of cooperation, not dividing lines," and added that Slovakia "maintains a sovereign foreign policy even within its membership in the EU and NATO."
The talks also addressed energy security. Fico described the European Commission's proposal to completely halt oil, gas, and nuclear fuel supplies from Russia as "economically unsustainable and harmful to Europe." He stated that continued cooperation with Russian suppliers is essential for the safe and stable operation of Slovakia's nuclear power plants.
Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) also stressed the importance of bilateral negotiations at the press conference. He highlighted the potential for Slovakia’s defense industry to expand into new markets in South America and Southeast Asia. "Vietnam and Brazil are large countries that serve as gateways to their respective regions," Kalinak noted regarding Fico’s talks with officials from Vietnam and Brazil.
According to Matúš Šutaj Eštok, leader of junior coalition member Hlas-SD, Fico’s visit to Moscow was more of a personal initiative of Fico than an official state visit. “I agree with what Vice-Chair (Tomas) Drucker and (Health) Minister Kamil Šaško said — it was more of a personal visit. But we don’t see it as a major issue,” Šutaj Eštok claimed.
While Robert Fico is in Moscow, all important European leaders are attending a meeting in Kyiv, pointed out Slovak opposition leader Michal Šimečka (PS), who sees it as "a terrible contrast and terrible image for Slovakia."
"Fico is the prime minister of war, who has betrayed Slovak interests. It's horrifying," Šimečka said, adding that the head of the Slovak executive has been relegated to a role of an underling. "He pretends to be a great statesman, talking to the Russian or Chinese president. But what is the reality? The only thing that makes Fico even slightly relevant in their eyes is the fact that he is the prime minister of an EU member country, and through him, they are eroding European unity and legitimizing their propaganda," added the PS chair.
The 'Slovakia' party joined in the criticism of Fico's trip to Moscow. "Today, all the significant leaders are meeting directly here in Kyiv, or they have joined online. I am deeply saddened that Robert Fico, with his approach, is making Slovakia a total loser of Europe," said 'Slovakia' head Igor Matovič.
KDH leader Milan Majersky reiterated the stance of KDH and the opposition, which views the prime minister's trip to Moscow and his participation as the only EU leader at the event as a disgrace. “It is a disgrace to visit an aggressor who has been occupying and attacking a free country for three years,” he declared.
Source: TASR
