Domestic Policies

Gaspar: Slovakia's Airspace Not Sufficiently Protected, Nad to Blame

Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (stock photo by TASR)

       Bratislava, 11 September (TASR) - Slovakia's airspace isn't sufficiently protected and is almost not protected at all against an incident similar to the one that took place in Poland, Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) stated on Thursday, claiming that this state of affairs in Slovakia is the fault of former defence minister Jaroslav Nad.
        According to Gaspar, the Prosecutor-General's Office should therefore also look into whether Nad's actions have caused a threat to Slovakia's security. Gaspar also condemned the violation of Polish airspace by drones.
        "As Slovakia, we aren't prepared to handle similar incidents. We'll certainly have to consult this issue with other member states and start looking at how to better protect the eastern flank of NATO-member states," Gaspar told a press conference on Thursday. The incident in Poland, according to him, likely involved drones of Russian origin, many of which didn't carry destructive potential. "They were basically demonstrating where they can land in a NATO country," he added.
        According to him, despite the fact that Slovakia invested a great deal of money in weapons that went to Ukraine, it's underestimated its own security. "I condemn any violation of international law, including in this case, if it was the Russian Federation against a NATO-member country, against Poland. This simply can't happen," he declared.
        Gaspar criticised Nad, who during his tenure decided to donate equipment to Ukraine. The House vice-chair referred to a report of the Supreme Audit Office, according to which Nad allegedly violated the law in connection with the disposal of state property. Gaspar expects an early investigation into the case. A criminal prosecution into the case has been initiated by a prosecutor of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. Gaspar called on him to say where the investigation is heading. The case is also being investigated by the Office for Combating Organised Crime. In the previous election term, Slovakia donated military equipment to Ukraine, including the S-300 air-defence system.

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