Blanar: Anti-government Hysteria over Ambassador Postings Beyond Common Sense

Bratislava, 4 June (TASR) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) on Wednesday rejected criticism from the opposition and "anti-government media" regarding recent nominations for Slovak ambassadorial posts, calling the reaction excessive and unreasonable. "The hysteria currently being stirred up by the opposition and its anti-government media over current nominations of Slovak ambassadors goes beyond the bounds of common sense, and what some are displaying goes beyond the bounds of any rationality," said Blanar. The minister underlined that it's entirely standard practice in both Slovak and international diplomacy for ambassadorial posts to be filled by a combination of career diplomats and political appointees. "There is nothing secret or unusual about this. It's always been done this way, including under previous governments, when decisions were made by the very people who are now shouting the loudest," he said, accusing the opposition and parts of the media of applying double standards. Blanar emphasised that every future Slovak ambassador must fulfil all the formal requirements without exception. These include approval by the Slovak government, passing a security clearance process, preparing and presenting a programme for the diplomatic mission, and undergoing further approval procedures by the host country. "This is a professional and official process, not a decision made overnight, as some are trying to portray in the media. Only afterwards will the individual represent the Slovak Republic," he added. The House committee for European affairs and the foreign affairs committee recently discussed the priorities of Slovakia's diplomatic missions in Cyprus and Italy. The committees also considered the nominations of Voice-SD MP Peter Kmec (Italy) and Independent MP Miroslav Radacovsky (Cyprus) for ambassadorial posts. The European affairs committee approved both nominations, while the foreign affairs committee endorsed only Radacovsky's nomination. The opposition has criticised both appointments, describing them as political deals. mf/df