Mikulec and Remisova Blast Fico Over NATO Article 5 Remarks

Bratislava, 21 September (TASR) - Opposition lawmakers Roman Mikulec and Veronika Remisova (both Slovakia-For the People) lambast Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) remarks on Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, warning that his questioning of the provision threatens the security of Slovakia and its citizens. Mikulec said Fico's remarks were evidence of his cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, pointing out that they were being viewed with concern by people in Slovakia and in allied countries. "Fico continues to collaborate with a mass murderer in the Kremlin, and people are beginning to fear what Robert Fico is doing, as statements like these give Vladimir Putin a guide for testing the cohesion of NATO," Mikulec declared. He underlined that President Peter Pellegrini, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, should respond clearly to such statements. "President Pellegrini should strongly condemn such statements as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Instead, he's burying his head in the sand," Mikulec claimed. Remisova said Article 5 was a fundamental, underlying principle of NATO, under which an armed attack against one ally is considered an attack against all, with other allies coming to its assistance. "Robert Fico is essentially denying the basis of the security guarantees for Slovakia, which is extremely dangerous," Remisova said. She added it was extremely dangerous for a prime minister to create the impression that commitments arising from NATO membership were optional or unimportant for Slovakia. On Saturday (19 September), Fico declared in a social media post that Article 5 gives NATO members broad options in how to respond when helping one or more member states in the event of a genuine armed attack. He called for an end to talk of "false solidarity". The war between Russia and Ukraine, although Russia's actions constitute a violation of international law, is not Slovakia's war and is not a NATO war, Fico said. He questioned why there was so much controversy over taking a sober view of Article 5. Pellegrini stated on Sunday that he interpreted Fico's statement on the issue as an appeal not to provoke Russia through activities that could lead to an attack on a NATO ally and force Slovakia to send troops under Article 5. He said he did not accept any other interpretation and would reject one. At the same time, he pointed out that as a NATO member, Slovakia had both rights and obligations and could not send a signal that it would stay out of a conflict. mf/mcs