- by Bob Saltis
- The Guardian
- Issue #2152
Photo: IMAGO/NurPhoto – heute.at (CC BY 4.0)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has spoken out for the first time about the neutrality of the country, which has been a member of NATO since 2004.
“In these senseless times of armaments, when arms companies are rubbing their hands, as (pharmaceutical) companies were rubbing their hands during COVID, neutrality would be very beneficial for Slovakia. Unfortunately, this decision is not in my hands,” Fico said in response to a journalist’s question about increasing defence spending.
This is what the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union are planning. In this context, Fico questioned the increase in military spending, for example, asking a rhetorical question about who wants to fight whom. He also claimed that everyone is talking about war.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini reacted by saying that Fico’s statement was a provocative idea. Pellegrini told reporters that Slovakia would have to spend much more money on its defence than it does today in the event of neutrality. He described the topic of Slovak neutrality as unnecessary.
“For me, it is crucial that the government’s program statement states that the government continues to support Slovakia’s membership in NATO and intends to fulfill the obligations of this membership,” the Slovak President said.
According to Slovak opposition leader Michal Šimečka, Fico’s words would in practice mean Slovakia’s withdrawal from NATO. “Robert Fico is raving about Slovakia’s neutrality. This is an absolutely scandalous statement. He is questioning the anchoring of our entire foreign policy.”
Other Slovak opposition politicians also criticised Fico for his statement about neutrality, saying it was another attempt by the prime minister to divert attention from the country’s real problems. They also pointed out that Ukraine, where Russia is fighting now, was also neutral.
