Slovak opposition calls Russia trip 'treason'

Slovakia’s opposition criticised a planned visit to Russia by Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar, saying the government was exposing Slovakia and the European Union to intelligence risks.

Prime Minister Robert Fico said Wednesday that Blanar would travel to Moscow in the coming weeks for a meeting of the Russian-Slovak Intergovernmental Commission for Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation.

The commission has been dormant since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its last meeting was held in Bratislava in November 2021.

Juraj Krupa of the opposition SaS party accused the government of launching what he called a “full-scale rapprochement campaign with Russia” and said it was tantamount to “treason”.

Ivan Novotny, also from SaS, said the commission meeting was a pretext for Blanar to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and seek to remove a cap on the number of Russian diplomats in Bratislava.

Russia has been limited since March 2022 to 15 diplomats and 19 administrative and technical staff in Slovakia over suspicions of espionage.

Fico opposes military aid to Ukraine and maintains close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During his current term, he has repeatedly clashed with the European Union.

Tens of thousands of people have joined protests against his government’s efforts to strengthen ties with the Kremlin despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as moves to exert greater control over media and culture.