Foreign Policies

Fico: Slovakia Shouldn't Interfere in Belarus’s Internal Affairs

Bratislava, August 19 (TASR) – Slovakia shouldn’t interfere in Belarus’s internal affairs, head of the opposition Smer-SD party Robert Fico stated in a video published on his Facebook account on Wednesday, noting that it’s necessary to let Belarusians decide what they desire.

According to Fico, Slovakia’s sovereignty is disappearing from the Government’s foreign policies. “We’re witnessing mindless copycatting of foreign opinions. I’ve condemned the violence that was used against protesters in Belarus, just like I did in the case of France, Spain and other democratic countries. But [Prime Minister Igor] Matovic, [Foreign Affairs Minister] Ivan Korcok and others shouldn’t interfere in Belarus’s internal affairs by one-sidedly supporting the political opposition,” noted Fico.

“I view the situation in Belarus as an attempt to carry out the model that was used in Ukraine, but we witnessed some elements of this model also in Slovakia, when the murder of a journalist and his girlfriend was grossly misused to attack the legitimate government,” said the erstwhile three-times prime minister.

Fico holds the opinion that what is currently happening in Belarus won’t be resolved by international sanctions against the country. “Sanctions have never worked, they only hinder people’s lives and exacerbate tension. A normal political dialogue needs to be carried on with Belarus and the country needs to be met half way by providing international intermediaries instead of imposing bans on its exports or imports and restricting the movement of selected people,” he remarked.

The Government on Wednesday adopted a stance according to which it’ll support decisions aimed at targeted and restrictive measures against those responsible for the violence committed against citizens of Belarus protesting against the non-observance of civil and human rights. At the same time Slovakia will push for the mobilisation of all tools to support Belarusian civil society and will support the international community’s efforts to halt the escalation of tension in Belarus.

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