During a visit to Vienna, Slovak Foreign Minister Blanár called for a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine. Schallenberg emphasized the importance of unity within the EU.
New Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár left open his country’s consent to new EU sanctions against Russia on Wednesday. “Our position on the 12th sanctions package is open,” said Blanár at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) in Vienna. Schallenberg emphasized the importance of EU unity regarding Ukraine: “Unity and unity on this issue are our greatest strength.”
Blanár advocated an end to Slovak military aid to Ukraine. However, he made it clear that “the Slovak Republic views Russian aggression as a violation of international law.” Bratislava is ready to help Ukraine humanitarianly and in demining. “We all want peace and democracy for Ukraine.” But as the conflict has frozen, “pressure for peace talks” is needed. Blanár did not respond to the journalist’s question about whether Slovakia demanded a unilateral ceasefire from Ukraine.
Schallenberg: Putin “can end the war tomorrow”
Schallenberg said Russia is the “biggest immediate security threat” to the European continent and has one person in its power: Russian President Vladimir Putin “can end the war tomorrow.” Schallenberg also defended support for Ukraine. Because: “If Ukraine stops fighting, then Ukraine is essentially finished. Then Slovakia could suddenly have a different neighbor.”
Blanár added that sanctions against Russia “didn’t achieve much.” His government demands an economic impact study and sanctions against Russia’s nuclear fuel are the red line for them. Because of the war, Slovakia fell to “second to last” in the EU when it came to living standards. Schallenberg responded that the sanctions were not pleasant, but “we will not under any circumstances enter into a review.” Russia was under review in 2022 and had the worst economic data of all emerging countries.
Schallenberg does not see the different positions on Russia as a stress test for the EU and other cooperation formats such as Slavkov-3 or Central 5. With Slovakia in particular, the “cooperation is so close, so interconnected” that “it actually makes everyone, regardless of how the government is constituted in Vienna, in Bratislava, in Prague, work together.” which will be held behind closed doors will take place in Brussels. Public discussions would be observed. “And these are not friendly observers,” says Schallenberg.
No criticism of border controls
Schallenberg and Blanár also spoke about migration. Blanár said his country is also under great migratory pressure. He emphasized that eleven Schengen countries currently control their borders and agreed with Schallenberg that “Schengen doesn’t work.” He did not criticize the Austrian controls introduced at border posts with Slovakia at the beginning of October because they “do not hamper traffic”. Schallenberg explained that the “temporary border controls” were regrettable. However, “there are no displacement problems”. According to Schallenberg, around 45,000 Slovaks live in Austria and around the same number cross the border every day. Austria is the second largest investor in Slovakia. 2,000 Austrian companies operate in the neighboring country.
Blanár was also asked about the media policy of his prime minister, Robert Fico. Fico announced that he would boycott several media outlets that criticized him. Blanár said in Vienna that he understood that, from the Austrian point of view, it looked like an exclusion from critical media. “But some media outlets do not provide objective information.” All media outlets in Slovakia have access to all public information. Fica simply doesn’t give direct interviews.
Blanár will also meet with European Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) on Wednesday. According to his office, this is an exchange on migration, EU enlargement and the fight against anti-Semitism. The new Slovak Interior Minister, Matúš Šutaj Eštok, is expected in Vienna on Thursday. He meets with Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) for a working discussion on border controls and preparations for a Visegrad 4 meeting in Szeged, on the Hungarian border with Serbia. (APA)