Premier: Slovakia Should Decline Invitation to Join Board of Peace

Bratislava, 27 January (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Tuesday that Slovakia should turn down the invitation to join the Board of Peace. "We're not in favour of the creation of any parallel structures about which we don't know everything," stated Fico, who also disagrees with the billion-dollar membership fee and with scrapping existing international institutions. The government will deal with the issue at its regular session on Wednesday (28 January). "I think that the Slovak Republic should decline with great gratitude this invitation and not pursue it any further. Nevertheless, Slovakia will be among the countries that have always called and will always call for peace," stressed Fico. "Existing international institutions, such as the UN, should be reformed, not scrapped," stated the premier. "Slovakia has a huge interest in becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2028-2029, and during all our visits we ask our partners to support our membership," he said. Fico stated that he isn't sure whether the Board of Peace is intended to be a general body for multiple cases, or merely an ad hoc institution of a temporary nature to address the situation in the Gaza Strip. The premier also objects to the one billion-dollar membership fee. "The government of the Slovak Republic will never pay any membership fee to join such an institution," he said. US President Donald Trump presented the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week. He invited some 60 countries to join, although its exact composition isn't yet known. Among those invited are Russia, China, the European Commission, Poland and Australia. Countries that have declined participation include France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and Slovenia. ko/df