Slovakia won't disrupt unity at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, said President Peter Pellegrini following the round-table debate on increasing defence spending that he held with representatives of both coalition and opposition parties on Tuesday.
The head of state confirmed that all the participants agreed that Slovakia should act as a responsible partner at the summit and not undermine consensus. The meeting was attended by Premier Robert Fico, Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (both Smer-SD), the leaders of coalition parties SNS and Hlas-SD, as well as the chairs of opposition parties PS, KDH and SaS. The President also stressed that providing security for the people should be a priority for Slovakia of its own volition, regardless of whether someone asks or orders it to do so. The country should answer for itself whether it is in a position to defend itself against a possible attack.
At the same time, Pellegrini believes Slovakia should significantly boost investment in its arms industry, noting its growing contribution to GDP. He sees further potential for economic growth in this sector.
However, Slovakia will insist that any increase in defence spending should be spread over at least ten years and that dual-use spending that benefits both civilian and military application should make up a significant portion of the total sum. This view was supported by both Pellegrini and PM Robert Fico.
After the roundtable, three opposition parties–PS, KDH, and SaS–agreed on the need to gradually increase defence spending, but called for an expert group, including opposition members, to ensure transparency.
Sources: TASR, The Slovak Spectator
