A Slovak Air Force aircraft carrying Slovak national Peter Svestka landed in Bratislava late Monday. Svestka had been detained by Israeli authorities during the interception of the Global Sumud flotilla.
“Thanks to proactive efforts and the professional approach of Slovak diplomacy, Peter Svestka has been released,” Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said, confirming that Svestka “is now safely back in Slovakia.” He added that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the Defence Ministry.
Together with Greece, Slovakia became one of the first European countries to repatriate its citizens using its own resources. Slovakia also helped secure the release of nine other detainees from the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States, “reaffirming our role as a respected and reliable partner,” Blanár added.
The Global Sumud initiative—described by Israel as a “media stunt”—sought to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea and break the Israeli naval blockade imposed since 2007. Israeli naval forces intercepted all vessels from the flotilla on October 1, detaining more than 400 activists. In recent days, Israel has deported over 100 of them to Turkey.
Source: TASR
