Bratislava – Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia (Smer-SD) marked a significant diplomatic achievement for the country during the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, executing his strategy with “millimeter precision and complete alignment with Slovakia’s national interests and the mandate from the European Affairs Committee,” as stated by Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) on Friday, according to TASR.
Kaliňák described the agreed-upon position as a considerable success for Slovakia, emphasizing that it is unusual for the European Council’s complex conclusions to specifically highlight an individual country. He pointed out that previous ministers and governments, including Ivan Korčok and Rastislav Káčer, did not manage to achieve such a “masterstroke.”
“When comparing the summit’s outcomes with reports from foreign media, which have positively highlighted Slovakia’s achievements, it’s astonishing to see how poorly Slovak media represented the situation, misleading the public significantly. If their claims about Slovakia’s isolation within the EU were accurate, would the European Council have devoted such attention to it? Likely not,” stressed the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister.
During the summit in Brussels, which included Prime Minister Robert Fico, Slovakia secured its positions that reaffirm its foreign political orientation, rooted in the resolution of the National Council of Slovakia’s Committee for European Affairs. Kaliňák noted that the summit focused on two critical issues directly impacting the Slovak defense sector: the ongoing situation in Ukraine and the enhancement of the EU’s defense capabilities. Before heading to Brussels, the Prime Minister sought and received the Committee’s mandate to support both topics, provided there was a reference to gas transit in the discussion about Ukraine.
Regarding discussions at the summit on increasing defense expenditures, Kaliňák pointed out that Slovakia did not commit to providing financial and military assistance to Ukraine.
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