Valasek: PS Welcomes US-Iran Ceasefire in Hopes of Permanent Peace

Bratislava, 8 April (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party welcomes the ceasefire between Iran and the USA, expressing hope that it will evolve into a permanent peace, PS MP Tomas Valasek told a press conference on Wednesday, noting that the war in the Middle East is a crisis that undermines the pillars of security and NATO. "However, the fact remains that this war should never have started. We've said from the beginning that it was illegal and unjustified. Later on, unfortunately, it became clear that it was completely ill-conceived, leaving Iran with an even more ruthless regime than before," said Valasek, adding that the USA has turned out to be an unpredictable and less reliable leader. Valasek recommends investing thoroughly in national armed forces so that Europe will be able to defend itself even if the USA hesitates or comes to its aid too late. He also emphasised building relationships with reliable partners. "In defence, saying that 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' doesn't hold water, because we need to find friends in advance. Not only has the government failed to do any of this, but when you think about it, our most important partners, that is, Germany, France, Great Britain and Poland, are exactly the countries with which [Prime Minister] Robert Fico has perhaps the worst relations," stressed Valasek. He added that Slovakia shouldn't be helping countries that consider it to be an enemy. jrg/df