SaS: Coalition of the Willing Holding Meeting, Slovakia Absent Again

Bratislava, 6 January (TASR) - A meeting of the Coalition of the Willing is once again taking place in Slovakia's absence, as the country is falling deeper into isolation and - thanks to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) - the nation has found itself on the sidelines and voiceless, opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party spokesperson Ondrej Sprlak told TASR on Tuesday. "Decisions are being made today about who in Europe will be protected and who will be left at the mercy of the stronger, but Robert Fico has arranged only one thing: for Slovakia not to be there. Fico keeps complaining endlessly about the world undergoing changes, but he himself is doing nothing, except clinging to the old communist era, staying loyal to Putin and insulting our partners," stated SaS leader Branislav Groehling. SaS noted that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is also heading to the summit held by the Coalition of the Willing in France. "It's extremely telling that even the Czech Republic led by Babis understands the inevitability of the changing security situation, while only Slovakia and Hungary remain on the sidelines," added Groehling, whose party has called on the government to reconsider its policy. jrg/df