The situation in Slovakia and other countries in the region is difficult in the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine, and likely no one in Slovakia wishes to have Russia or a Moscow-installed regime in Ukraine for a neighbour, chief of Slovak diplomacy Miroslav Wlachovsky declared during the discussion with his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau and Estonian ex-president Kersti Kaljulaid at Globsec 2023 Bratislava security conference on Tuesday, TASR learnt on the same day.
Wlachovsky praised the former Slovak government for the important decision of extending Slovak military aid to Ukraine, made in the interest of Slovakia and the entire region, despite the fact that not every citizen has agreed with it. He reiterated that the most expeditious way to peace in Ukraine would be the withdrawal of Russian occupation troops from Ukraine.
The Slovak Minister added that he supports the peace plan sponsored by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy because it's necessary to arrive at a just peace that will punish the aggressor and compensate the attacked party.
Zbigniew Rau claimed that Russia has been an imperialist state since the 15th century and the overarching policy in Russia is that if the ruler wants to be respected, he needs to increase Russia's territory. If the Russian empire looses territory, the ruler must relinquish his power.
In this context, Rau pointed out to Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement that the collapse of the Soviet Union had been the worst catastrophe of the 20th century. In Rau's view, Putin has subscribed to the philosophy of the empire's restoration this way.
Kaljulaid said that a lasting peace should have been achieved in Ukraine as early as in 2014, yet that hasn't happened. She pointed out that the last time Russia took a step back had been in 1991, a fact that proves that Russia withdraws only when it's severely weakened. Any peace talks should begin only after Russia withdraws from Ukraine, she added.
The former Estonian president believes that the eastern flank of NATO should be reinforced as much as possible, but warned that not all member countries meet the commitment of spending two percent of GDP on defence.
Wlachovsky also met with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Bratislava on Tuesday on the sidelines of the GLOBSEC 2023 Bratislava security conference, TASR learnt from the ministry press department on the same day.
"We perceive Israel as our key partner in the Middle East region and the intensity of our political contacts proves it. I'm convinced, however, that there's room for extension of our mutual cooperation, particularly in the sphere of science, research, innovations, high-tech economy but also in the automobile industry," said minister Wlachovsky, who would like to see more regular flights between Israel and Slovakia, too.
The two ministers concurred that the unprovoked Russia aggression against Ukraine is beyond the pale, as well as war crimes committed against citizens of Ukraine and astronomical economic damage on the soil of the attacked country, which is why the continued support for Ukraine remains necessary.
Source: TASR
