Monitor: Danko Not Aware of Any Intentional Russian Attack against NATO Ally

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 21 September) Chairman of the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko does not believe that the incursion of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets was intentional, he said on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. "I have enough information about it from the media, and I don’t believe it was intentional," he said, adding that he wouldn't speculate on whether it was a provocation or a coincidence. "I am not aware of any intentional Russian attack against a NATO member state. Had this happened, we would be facing a third world war," stated Danko. He also called for restraint in assessing the incident, and pointed to statements by US President Donald Trump and additional information about the Russian drone incursion into Poland. During the discussion, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) Milan Majersky asked Danko what it means when Russian aircraft remained in another state's airspace for 12 minutes, as well as whether Danko thinks they don't have their aircraft under control. Majersky noted he did not understand Danko's statements about "fighter jets or drones that went astray". Their discussion also touched on consolidation measures and energy subsidies, with Majersky criticising their scope, noting that aid should be targeted. Danko supports the idea of targeted subsidies which "should be channelled through energy distribution companies". He also noted that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) hold differing views on this subject. As regards consolidation measures, Danko confirmed that discussion on the scrapping of time off work on some public holidays is still ongoing. "Personally, I do not prefer the 6th of January being among such public holidays. There are also other proposals being raised, and there are also talks with church representatives. This has not been concluded yet," explained Danko. Majersky estimated that the scrapping of time off work on a public holiday would yield about €150 million for the economy, which is not enough in terms of consolidation. He also does not agree with suggestions that shops should be open on holidays. According to Danko, this issue has not been settled yet. "I would not object if at least some shops were open; we need to reach a suitable compromise," he noted. Danko added that Slovakia needs reforms and systemic changes to make state expenditure more efficient. He also mentioned that a new office for the protection of economic competition could be set up in addition to reducing the number of self-governing regions, even though "this has not been okayed by the coalition partners yet". jrg