KDH: Foreign Policy Affected by Political Uncertainty and Changes of Gov't

Bratislava, January 8 (TASR) - Political uncertainty on the domestic scene, an early general election and three recent changes in government have affected the goals and effectiveness of Slovak foreign policy, as well as its position in the Visegrad Four (V4), Europe and the world, Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann, who ran for the Chrisitian Democratic Movement (KDH), has stated in an end-of-year interview for TASR. Lexmann noted that, Slovakia, unfortunately, didn't take an active lead on any issue at the EU level even in 2023. "In cases in which the country was successful in defending its own interests, it usually followed other like-minded partners, such as the Czech Republic in reworking the European Commission's harmful proposal on car emissions," explained Lexmann. The MEP praised Slovakia's above-standard relations with Prague and sound ties with Poland in 2023. At the same time she said that KDH rejects provocations and interference in Slovak sovereign affairs by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "KDH wants close relations with all [Slovakia's] neighbours, but believes that close ties between neighbours must be guided by mutual respect for sovereignty," she noted. KDH is also concerned about the growing efforts by Russia, China and other authoritarian regimes to influence Slovak politics and society. It added that it rejects any attempts at foreign interference in Slovak society and democracy. "It will continue to monitor any action by the government, which is already weakening our resilience to these external threats," the movement added. According to KDH, this year it will be important in the international context to persevere support for Ukraine. According to the movement, the totalitarian regime of the Chinese Communist Party is the biggest threat to Slovakia. "That is why Slovakia must be much more involved in its own security issues at all levels," Lexmann remarked. The country can also do much more to protect human rights and safeguard freedom and democracy around the world, given its totalitarian past, she added. zel/df