Slovakia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine and, therefore, condemns the actions of the Russian Federation that violate these principles and lends support to EU sanctions against Russia, stated Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák on Wednesday at a session of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Committees that was convened by the Opposition.
The opposition had been accusing the Government of not pursuing a more resolute stance against Russia with respect to the Ukrainian crisis. Former two-times Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda (SDKU-DS) rejects the statement of Prime Minister Robert Fico, according to whom the Ukrainian crisis is about the geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the United States. It's highly amoral for the PM Fico to approve sanctions on Monday and then heap criticism on them on Tuesday, stated Dzurinda claiming such an approach damages the good reputation of Slovakia abroad. On the other hand Smer MP Lubos Blaha defended Prime Minister Fico, claiming Slovakia is mature and has a right to speak its mind. “Slovakia belongs among the most vulnerable countries due to our energy and security dependence on Russia. Hence, logically, we respond to the sanctions in a different way,” stated Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák. He asks the EU to also be fair in its foreign policies towards its members. “We should suffer the impact of the sanctions together. We refuse to become the stick someone will use to beat Russian President Vladimir Putin on his head, while being the only one to bear the costs. Every country pursues and defends its state interests and that's what Slovakia must do, too,” stated Lajčák adding that it’s in the interest of Slovakia to have a stable and prosperous Ukraine. Due to the interest in the debate on Ukraine, the Parliamentary session from Wednesday continued also on Thursday.
