On Wednesday evening, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová ratified the Slovak-US Defence Cooperation Agreement after the Parliamnet greenlighted it earlier in the day. Of the 140 MPs present, the document was supported by 79, while 60 voted against.
"The interpretation clause I attached to the negotiated text of the treaty is part of the ratification document and is therefore a binding interpretation of the treaty also for future generations of politicians in its application. This clause, together with the other party's clause, confirm that Slovakia and the United States interpret the text of the treaty in agreement and that there is no rational reason to suspect other ulterior motives here," said the head of state.
The DCA is designed to allow the US Armed Forces to make use of Slovak military bases in Malacky-Kuchyňa and Sliač and any other agreed facilities free of charge. The document should be valid for ten years. After this period, it could remain valid or be terminated with one year's notice.
In exchange, the US should invest $100 million in infrastructure in Slovakia. Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď specified that this money could be used for the reconstruction of the military airports Sliač and Malacky, while Slovakia would not give up ownership of these facilities.
Robert Fico chair of the opposition Smer-SD party said they would launch a petition in the next few days to initiate a referendum with three questions, one of which will concern the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States. The negotiations on the DCA begun in 2018. At that time and until 2020, Smer-SD was the largest governing party, paving the way for the signature of the agreement.
Prosecutor-General Maroš Žilinka also criticized the DCA comparing it to the 1968 occupation agreement between then totalitarian countries Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. This comparison sparked disagreement among the wide public, calling it inappropriate and criticizing the PG for commenting on foreign policy and taking part in a political battle instead of remaining non-partisan. Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said that Žilinka has thus launched his political campaign. Justice Minister Mária Kolíková called this kind constitution of his political expression inappropriate.
Source: TASR
