PS, KDH and SaS Aware that Defence Spending Needs to Be Increased

Bratislava, June 17 (TASR) - The opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS), the Christian Democrats (KDH), and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) are aware that defence spending needs to be gradually increased, opposition party leaders said after a roundtable meeting with President Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), chairs of the coalition parties and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) on Tuesday. However, they insist that an expert working group be set up to oversee transparency. In their view, it should also include representatives of the opposition. They confirmed the consensus of the participants in the meeting that Slovakia won't disrupt unity at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague. They also criticised the premier who said earlier in the day that that neutrality would suit Slovakia at this time. "We in PS say that it's necessary to increase investment in defence because the threat from Russia against Europe is real. And secondly, we say that this should be done through a process where the opposition, the coalition, all relevant parties are involved, so that we can come to some kind of agreement that can then be translated into two or three electoral terms," stated PS leader Michal Simecka. According to KDH chairman Milan Majersky, KDH also insists on the setting up of an oversight committee or commission on defence spending. "We're aware that the world is in a difficult situation and we too will have to gradually increase defence spending, but it must be done transparently," he noted. In the same way, SaS also says that defence spending needs to be increased in the light of Russian aggression. Party chair Branislav Groehling stated that the round-table discussed the possible pace and amount of the increase. "However, this has been left open, because I again asked also Minister Kalinak that a working group be set up as we asked for at the last meeting, where there will be representatives of all relevant political parties, where they will sit down, see a plan, where they can agree," he added. am