Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) did not travel to Ukraine for the "Carpathian Eight" summit on Friday. The Government Office confirmed that he was unable to attend due to health issues. He was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Eštok. Roman Michelko, chairman of the coalition SNS parliamentary group, responded: “Mr. Eštok is a so-called "sherpa"; he attends all European Union summits, and I prepare background materials for him. There is no doubt that he is a highly qualified diplomat.”
Representatives from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Austria, and Hungary met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the new Ukrainian Prime Minister, Serhiy Koretskyi. Fuel prices were also part of the discussion.
During his visit to Prešov on Thursday (17 September), Fico expressed concerns about how the conflict in Ukraine is developing, saying that the situation had never been as serious and tense in terms of the possibility of a pan-European military conflict as it is now. „I do not want Slovakia to become part of any armed conflict simply because of Article 5. Yes, we are in NATO and we value that, but as Prime Minister, I will do everything in my power to ensure that Slovakia is never dragged into an armed conflict,” stated Fico.
According to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an armed attack against one NATO member is considered to be an attack against all members. It therefore assumes that member states will come to the aid of the member under attack.
The Czech president Petr Pavel said on Sunday that he considers Fico's statement about Article 5 as serious. "If someone says that they are glad to be a member of NATO, in other words, that NATO protects us, but at the same time they are unwilling to get involved if anyone else comes under attack, then they have misunderstood what solidarity means," said Pavel.
I respect that Czech President Petr Pavel, as a former NATO general, would like to fight; therefore, I would welcome it if he respected that I prefer peace, Fico said in response.
In a speech delivered at the ceremonial swearing-in of military cadets on Saturday, President Peter Pellegrini emphasized that Slovakia should be an active member of NATO. He stated that the country neither desires nor intends to be a passive member of the North Atlantic Alliance, but rather an active and full contributor to the collective security system. The opposition views this as a challenge directed at the Prime Minister, whereas the coalition maintains that this approach simply advocates for peaceful solutions.
Source: STVR
