Premier: Slovakia Wasn't, Isn't and Won't Be Member of Coalition of Willing (2)

Bratislava, 24 July (TASR) - Slovakia wasn't, isn't and will not be a member of the Coalition of the Willing, which supports the war in Ukraine, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in a post on social media on Friday, adding that he hasn't attended any meeting of this group in his capacity as premier. Fico said that he personally spoke to French Ambassador to Slovakia Nicolas Suran on Friday, strongly urging him to ensure that the French Embassy doesn't disseminate any false information about Slovakia's membership of the Coalition of the Willing. "Ambassador Suran confirmed to me that this was a misunderstanding and that they will communicate this publicly as well," said the premier. "Our relationship with Ukraine is based on bilateral cooperation, within which we refuse to provide Ukraine with lethal aid donations or to participate in war loans or other financial aid to Ukraine for military purposes," stated Fico. He added that Slovakia focuses on humanitarian aid and cooperation on useful civilian projects between the Slovak and Ukrainian governments. Fico also pointed out that the events held on 13-14 July in Paris were celebrations marking France's national holiday, accompanied by a military parade. He said that he didn't attend this event and asked the Slovak ambassador to represent the country instead. Slovakia isn't a member of the Coalition of the Willing, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) confirmed on Friday, stating that the Slovak ambassador in Paris attended a Coalition of the Willing meeting on 13 July only as an observer, along with other representatives of the diplomatic corps. "The French Embassy in Slovakia hasn't issued any official statement regarding Slovakia's membership of the Coalition of the Willing. We only pointed out that an invitation was sent to the Slovak authorities to participate in the Bastile Day military parade on 14 July and that the Slovak ambassador took part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing the day before," Bronislava Sincakova of the press department of the French Embassy in Slovakia has told TASR. She added that it is solely the Slovak government that informs the public about its international commitments. The junior governing Slovak National Party (SNS) has also commented on the issue. It said that it fundamentally disagrees with Slovakia's participation in the Coalition of the Willing. It believes that any arms supplies to Ukraine increase the risk of further escalation of the conflict and may negatively affect the security situation in Europe. The euBrief website reported that Slovakia had joined the countries forming the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine. According to the website, Slovakia took part in the meeting in Paris in July and also endorsed the final statement issued by the co-chairs. Slovakia's participation in last week's meeting in Paris was confirmed by the French Embassy. NOTE: This story has been extended to include paragraphs 6 and 7. ko/df