Slovakia's involvement in the abduction of a Vietnamese politician, the investigation of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak's murder and the future of Europe, dominated the agenda of the meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini on Wednesday.
"When the Prime Minister took over the office the circumstances were not easy. Germany expects Slovakia to do utmost to clarify the murder of the journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée."
Said Merkel, adding that the two leaders also discussed the abduction of convicted Vietnamese politician Trinh Xuan Thanh in Germany, allegedly by members of the Vietnamese secret service in the summer of 2017. It happened while the country's Minister of Public Security, To Lam, was visiting Slovakia. According to the German press, some suspects appeared in Lam's presence in Bratislava and the Slovak Interior Ministry even provided a plane to the Vietnamese after a sudden change of their plans. "As a Prime Minister, I reject the claim that Slovakia has participated in any way in some transport of a kidnapped Vietnamese citizen," said the Slovak prime minister. He added that the person in question could have been taken to the plane and that "Slovakia's hospitability" could have been abused. However, nothing indicates this yet, and he will also turn to the Slovak intelligence service.
On Thursday, the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Vietnamese ambassador for an explanation on the circumstances of the alleged abduction of a prosecuted Vietnamese national from Germany via Slovakia.
