While on her visit in Brussels, incumbent President Zuzana Čaputová discussed her future in politics after Peter Pellegrini succeeds her in Presidential palace on 15 June. She said that she has no interest in working in Slovak politics. There have been talks about Čaputová possibly being the new leader of NATO after Jens Stoltenberg, which would also make her the first woman in this position. She denied these claims.
Čaputová: „This is not how I perceive the challenges in my life. It would be interesting however, if sometime in the future a woman took over such an extraordinary position in NATO. My whole life I have been saying that being a woman is not a qualification, but if a candidate meets the expertise, experience and has the desire to apply for such a position, it can only be to the benefit of the cause.“
Within her farewell trip to Brussels, the President also discussed the opinion about Slovakia in NATO. There have been negative remarks made by several MPs about their relations to Russia, which Čaputová thinks do not make Slovakia look good. She pointed out that the country is being reliable and responsible when it comes to financing the defence. The President also said that Slovakia is perceived as a solid ally in NATO. “The rhetoric in connection with Ukraine is known, although it’s the specific actions that are valued here, which are looked at in a positive light,” Čaputová added. During this trip she also talked about Slovakia’s 20th anniversary as a part of NATO.
