Danko: It's Time for Coalition to Meet Its Promises and Revisit DCA Deal with US

Bratislava, 31 July (TASR) – It's high time for the coalition to honour its pre-election promises and reconsider the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States, according to Andrej Danko, leader of the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS). Danko stated this in a video posted on social media on Thursday. The SNS head added that Prime Minister Robert Fico and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (both Smer-SD) have the tools to do this, and SNS will support them. "I was personally at the border when these troops arrived in the Slovak Republic. It was not a great feeling, as I realised that we are losing our sovereignty by having foreign troops stationed on our territory long term. We had them here as of 1968 [a reference to the 1968 occupation of erstwhile Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact armies— ed.note], and we have them here now. We must do everything possible to ensure that only the Slovak army operates in Slovakia," he said. According to Danko, the Slovak armed forces should be strong enough to assist other countries. He emphasised, however, that Slovakia is a small country and so must do its utmost to command respect; something he believes will not happen if Slovakia relies on foreign troops for its defence. After taking up office, Minister Kalinak stated that the agreement signed in 2022 will need to be revised, calling it poorly worded. The deal includes provisions for the use of the Malacky-Kuchyna and Sliac military airbases by US armed forces. It is set to remain in effect for ten years, after which it can either be prolonged or terminated with a year's notice. The Defence Ministry announced in October last year that it was negotiating changes with other affected ministries. mf/df