Opposition Blasts Blanar Over His Moscow Visit

Bratislava, 26 October (TASR) – Slovakia's opposition parties have lambasted Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) over his visit to Moscow, where he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, accusing him of betraying Slovakia's national interests. Ivan Korcok, vice-chair of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, declared that Blanar's visit to Moscow has seriously damaged Slovakia's interests and international reputation. He holds the minister responsible for wrecking relations with neighbouring countries, describing him as an invisible presence at the European table and the destroyer of the Slovak diplomatic service. Korcok said that Blanar must be dismissed and expressed confidence that the opposition will gather the necessary signatures in Parliament to initiate his removal this week. According to Juraj Krupa, an MP for the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, Blanar went to Moscow to convey the message that Slovakia is an easily swayed country that abets the interests of the Russia within the EU. "This is terrible and deeply troubling, because what's happening here is preparation for a form of collaboration and betrayal of the national interests of the Slovak Republic. We must certainly not allow this to happen," underlined Krupa. The Foreign Ministry mustn't act as a servile lackey of the Russian aggressor, said Jan Horecky of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH). He suggested that the peace in Ukraine announced by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) might amount to unconditional surrender to the aggressor. "It is in the long-term interests of the Slovak Republic that there should be no aggressor on our eastern borders. It's also in our interests to be part of European security solutions and joint approaches," he stated. Eduard Heger, a former prime minister (2021-23) and a member of the extra-parliamentary Democrats party, said that freedom and prosperity have never come to Slovakia from the East. "Tell me, what is the point of Juraj Blanar's trip to Russia? Whether it's supposedly about economic cooperation or opening the door to Russian agents in Slovakia, it makes absolutely no sense. Let us remember that freedom and prosperity have come to Slovakia from the West, not the East. From the East come tanks and occupation," said Heger. The 'Slovakia' party condemned the minister's visit to Moscow, saying that it's brought no tangible benefits to the Slovak people. In its view, Blanar should explain what concrete results the trip has delivered for the public. If the government maintains that its foreign policy is intended to serve the Slovak people, it should be able to identify specific outcomes. The party also criticised the circumstances of the trip, noting that Poland has once again refused permission for the Slovak government aircraft to fly through its airspace. "Slovak diplomacy has brought nothing but great international embarrassment. There's no other way to describe the fact that the Poles have once again denied our government aircraft permission to fly to Moscow through their airspace," said MP Gabor Grendel of the Slovakia–For the People caucus. MP Veronika Remisova, from the same caucus, strongly criticised Blanar's visit. She highlighted hostile activities by Russian intelligence services in Slovakia and across Europe, as well as serious reports in German media about an alleged sabotage network linked to Russia's military intelligence agency, GRU, which was reportedly directed from Slovakia. Remisova called on the minister to explain personally whether hes raised with Lavrov the issue of Russian sabotage and intelligence operations targeting Slovakia and its allies. She also intends to demand an answer on whether the two discussed expanding Russia's diplomatic presence in Slovakia. Such a move would mean further infiltration by Russian intelligence services, she warned. Blanar arrived in Moscow on Sunday, 25 October, for the 22nd session of the Slovak-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic and Scientific-technical Cooperation. He co-chairs the commission with Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov. On Monday, he also held talks with Lavrov on prospects for developing political dialogue and cooperation in several areas. mf/df