Korcok: Slovakia as Part of NATO Well Protected, Alliance Isn't Fighting Russia
Brussels, March 4 (TASR-correspondent) – Slovakia, as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), is well protected and is fully involved in all the decisions NATO takes in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok (a Freedom and Solidarity/SaS nominee) stated following an extraordinary meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the organisation’s Brussels headquarters on Friday.
Korcok said that the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Slovenia and the USA will participate to form a military unit in Slovakia. “Everyone has confirmed that they are going in. They feel that they want to help us. But they’re also helping themselves, the way we went to the Baltics,” he noted, adding that the NATO isn’t at war with Russia and that the support for Ukraine is organised at the level of the Allies, not the organisation as such. The Alliance, as a grouping, isn’t sending military aid to Ukraine.
“At the same time, however, it’s impossible not to perceive what’s happening east of the Alliance’s territory as a threat to the security of the whole of Europe,” stressed Korcok. In this context, he emphasised that Slovakia isn’t involved in the war in Ukraine because NATO isn’t part of this armed conflict.
The Slovak foreign minister called on the Russian Federation to end this senseless and unprovoked war against Ukraine immediately. “It’s humanly ruthless and politically irresponsible and everyone has been shaken by the fact that Russia is doing this military action regardless of the consequences as was also seen tonight in the attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant,” he added.
Korcok considers the participation of non-member countries Finland and Sweden in the extraordinary meeting of the Alliance’s heads of diplomacy to be important. According to him, this is a clear indication that the war in Ukraine affects everyone in Europe. “Everyone feels that Ukraine’s defence is our own defence,” said Korcok.
