Blanar: We Call for Restraint and Return to Diplomatic Negotiations

Bratislava, 1 March (TASR) - Any escalation in the Middle East region can have far-reaching consequences, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated on a social network on Sunday, calling for restraint with regard to the current conflict. "It is precisely in this spirit that we will continue to call on all participating countries to return to the diplomatic negotiations mediated by Oman earlier this week which, according to sources, had been moving forward productively and optimistically," stressed the head of Slovak diplomacy. He again criticised the military intervention against the Iranian regime. "We may have reservations about certain steps, but attacking anyone by force is simply out of the question. Our position is therefore clear in that any violation of international law is unacceptable for Slovakia," stated Blanar, adding that the joint U.S.-Israeli military attack on Iran constituted a breach of the UN Charter. At the same time, he expressed solidarity with all countries that became targets of Iranian retaliatory strikes. On Saturday (28 February), the United States and Israel launched a coordinated massive military intervention against Iran, killing, among others, the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israel and countries in the Persian Gulf. The US military announced on Sunday that three US soldiers have been killed and several others injured so far during the operation against Iran. jrg