Estonia will not allow the Slovak government plane carrying Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to fly over its territory during his trip to Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations on May 9. This was announced on Sunday by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. Fico had already stated on Saturday (April 18) that Lithuania and Latvia would not grant him overflight permission either.
Tsahkna emphasized that Estonia’s position is clear—no country may use its airspace to strengthen ties with Moscow at a time when Russia continues to violate international rules, wage an aggressive war against Ukraine, and threaten the security of all of Europe.
On Saturday, Fico announced that he would not receive permission from Vilnius or Riga either. “Oh well, European Union member states won’t let the prime minister of another EU member state fly over their territory. I’m sure I’ll find another route, just as I did last year,” he declared.
Due to opposition from the Baltic states, the Slovak prime minister flew last year on a government plane via a longer, southern route through Hungary, Romania, and the Black Sea region. In addition to attending the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, he also held bilateral talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and leaders of other countries.
Source: TASR
