Bratislava, 20 September (TASR) – I respect that Czech President Petr Pavel, as a former NATO general, would like to fight; therefore, I would welcome it if he respected that I prefer peace, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said in response to Sunday’s statement by the Czech president who described Fico’s remarks concerning Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty as serious.
“Czech President Petr Pavel, whom I always treat with esteem and respect as the head of the sovereign Czech Republic, often tends to comment on my work. This time, he was disturbed by my position on efforts to provoke an armed conflict between NATO and Russia,” stated Fico, adding that he does not and will not belong among those looking for a pretext for a war between NATO and Russia.
“The military rhetoric of the West and the search for a pretext for a military conflict with Russia is meant to cover up the liberal world’s inability to address fundamental challenges, such as the prices and availability of energy and fuels, or illegal migration,” added Fico.
He claimed that as long as he is prime minister, he will not agree to Slovak soldiers participating in any “military adventure” provoked by someone from NATO. “In the event of an actual armed attack against one or more NATO member states, the relevant Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty provides NATO member states with various options for demonstrating solidarity,” stated Fico.
The Czech president said earlier on Sunday that he considers Fico’s words about Article 5 as serious. “This is a very serious statement and we should treat it as such, and it’s definitely not an example we should follow. Article 5 clearly embodies solidarity and mutual responsibility. If someone says that they are glad to be a member of NATO, in other words, that NATO protects us, but at the same time they are unwilling to get involved if anyone else comes under attack, then they have misunderstood what solidarity means,” said Pavel.
During his visit to Presov on Thursday (17 September), Fico expressed his concerns about how the conflict in Ukraine is evolving, saying that situation has never been as serious and tense in terms of the possibility of a pan-European military conflict as it is now. In the context of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, according to which an armed attack against one NATO member is considered to be an attack against all members, Fico also said that he doesn’t want Slovakia to become involved in any war.