Lajcak Condemns Epstein's Crimes, Declines to Confirm Authenticity of Messages

Bratislava, 31 January (TASR) - Miroslav Lajcak, former minister of foreign affairs (2012-20) and an adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), has condemned the crimes of late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, stressing that had he been aware of the full extent of Epstein's actions in the past, no communication between them would have taken place, according to Lajcak's statement provided to TASR. At the same time, he stated that he's not able to confirm the authenticity of messages that have been published, as he doesn't recall such communication after all this time. "Words and actions are two different things. However, through today's lens, individual actions are viewed differently and even conversation that would otherwise appear to be insignificant is now judged in a different context," stated Lajcak. As regards the published communication with Epstein, it's clear that it was informal and light-hearted, without any real substance to it, according to Lajcak. However, what he knows very precisely is that he has never been offered sexual services and that he has never took part in any such activities, nor has he ever been witness to such conduct or aware of any information about it. According to Lajcak, there's nothing in the published messages to even suggest this. "I am ready to confirm this claim by any and all means. As a professional diplomat, I am not so naive as to commit any acts that could possibly discredit myself," he declared. Lajcak says he is also aware that he's now being used as a vehicle for staging a political attack on Fico. He said he's going to speak directly with the prime minister about the situation, being ready to step down. "Not because of having done anything criminal or unethical in my actions, but I don't want him to bear the political costs for something that's unrelated to his decisions," concluded Lajcak. The US Department of Justice said Friday (30 January) that it was disclosing more than three million pages of documents related to the Epstein case. Several prominent public figures have appeared in the files released so far, including US President Donald Trump, former US president Bill Clinton, and former Slovak foreign minister Lajcak, whose name also appears in the new documents mentioning young girls or the possibility of communication between Fico and far-right US politician Steve Bannon. US financier Epstein committed suicide in prison in New York in 2019. Investigation has revealed that he's built an illegal network for providing underage girls for rich people. jrg