PS Blasts Slovak Diplomacy Over Bid to Remove Russian Oligarchs from Sanctions

Bratislava, 13 March (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has criticised the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry for supporting discussions on removing Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the European Union sanctions list. PS presidium member Ivan Korcok claimed that Slovak diplomacy will only give its consent to extend EU sanctions against more than 2,600 Russian individuals and companies if the two oligarchs are removed from the list. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Korcok questioned how such action would serve Slovakia's interests. "Today is the last moment when this sanctions list of 2,600 persons can be extended. The scandal that directly demonstrates Russia's influence on Slovak foreign policy lies in the fact that Slovakia is requesting and conditioning its consent to extend the validity of this sanctions list on the removal of two specific individuals, citizens of the Russian Federation," said Korcok. Korcok added that PS doesn't understand why removing these two individuals should be in Slovakia's interests. PS believes that the ministry is acting in Russia's interests instead. Korcok also pointed to this week's meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and new Russian ambassador to Slovakia Sergey Andreyev. He called on Blanar to inform the public how many extra Russian diplomats are working at the Russian embassy in Bratislava. At a meeting of Parliament's European affairs committee on Thursday (12 March), Blanar confirmed that Slovakia supports discussions on removing Fridman and Usmanov from the EU sanctions list. According to him, several countries are holding talks on their removal and other names are also being discussed. Negotiations have not yet been concluded, he said. Blanar declined to give a clear answer to whether Slovakia initiated the debate on removing the two individuals. He said that Slovakia approaches each case constructively and the government is acting in the country's interest. News website EUobserver reported on Tuesday (10 March), citing three EU diplomats, that Slovakia has threatened to block the extension of EU sanctions against more than 2,600 Russian individuals and companies for another six months. The sanctions are set to expire on Sunday, 15 March. According to the diplomats, Bratislava's consent to the extension is contingent on the removal of Fridman and Usmanov from the sanctions list. The information was also reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. mf/df