Foreign and European Affairs State Secretary Lukáš Parízek has not ruled out the possibility of Slovakia expelling Russian diplomats following the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England in early March, 2018. The two were poisoned with Novichok nerve agent and remain in critical condition in hospital in the United Kingdom.
The British government responded days later, accusing Russia of attempted murder and subsequently expelled numerous Russian diplomats which the British accused of being intelligence agents. The United States and sixteen European nations support Britain's reaction, however Russia has denied the accusations.
Parízek discussed the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's potential steps with President Andrej Kiska, who had summoned him in connection with the case. "If the investigation confirms the accusations that have been raised, we'll consider further steps," Parízek told journalists, regarding expelling Russian diplomats from Slovak soil.
However, President Kiska remains dissatisfied with Parízek's explanation of the situation or with the measures the country has adopted so far in this matter, stated the president's spokesperson Roman Krpelan on Tuesday afternoon. "President Andrej Kiska has asked the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry to explain why Slovakia hasn't acted in the same way as our partners in the European Union and the V4 [Visegrad Four] group in connection with Britain's request to expel Russian diplomats," said Krpelan.
The spokesman went on to say that following the meeting with Parízek, Kiska talked to Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) on the phone and told him that he "expects Slovakia to take a clear and fundamental attitude vis-a-vis the need to demonstrate solidarity with one of our important partners".
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Lajčák said that the position of Slovakia remains unambiguous. "We express our full solidarity with the United Kingdom, which we see as our strategic ally and partner," Lajčák said. He added that Slovakia condemns the chemical attack on the former spy and his daughter, "as an unacceptable violation of international agreements, and we have called on Moscow to cooperate fully and rebut allegations that it is behind the attack." The Foreign Affairs Minister stressed that this position has been clearly expressed by Slovakia twice in the European Union and at the NATO level.
On Wednesday, following the Security Council and Cabinet meeting, the Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák announced in an impromptu press conference that he is recalling the Slovak Ambassador in Russia for consultations; the first time any such recall has occurred in Slovakia's 25 year history.
Following the poisoning incident, US President Donald Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats from American soil and shut down the Russian consulate in Seattle. Slovakia however has not expelled any Russian diplomats yet, earning it global criticism. Parízek opposes this, stating, "I wouldn't say we haven't joined them. We are expressing our solidarity, closely communicating with our allies, we've condemned the given incident and we believe in its imminent clarification," said Parízek.
