Korcok: Slovakia on Thin Ice in Foreign Politcs due to Domestic Affairs
Bratislava, March 25 (TASR) – With conflicts appearing on the domestic political scene, Slovakia has found itself treading on thin ice in foreign politics, now ex-foreign affairs minister Ivan Korcok stated on Thursday.
Korcok refused to comment on whether he’ll return to the Foreign Affairs Ministry if a government overhaul takes place, claiming that he doesn’t consider it appropriate, as his journey has ended for the time being and the rest is in the hands of the coalition partners.
Speaking on a related note, Korcok criticised Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) for supporting a foreign head of diplomacy. This was probably a reference to Matovic’s words of thanks addressed to the Hungarian foreign affairs minister for helping Slovakia to obtain the Sputnik V vaccine.
According to the ex-minister, Slovakia is perceived in a positive light abroad despite the situation in which it currently finds itself.
Korcok opined that Slovak lawmakers should resist the temptation to score political points via foreign policies, remarking that foreign policies are fully intertwined with domestic ones. “When it comes to the foreign affairs minister, they must be certain that in difficult situations, which naturally appear in the world of politics, their own prime minister will never publicly support a foreign affairs minister from a different country,” he said.
In his opinion, not even this Government has been able to halt a long-term decline in the political culture of the country.
Korcok, who operated as a non-partisan minister nominated by Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), announced that both Foreign Affairs Ministry state secretaries – Martin Klus and Ingrid Brockova – will remain in their posts. At the same time, he thanked his partners and colleagues for their collaboration.
The ex-minister didn’t provide a clear answer as to whether he’ll return to his post following a government overhaul. “We’re trying to predict the future, and Slovakia doesn’t even know how its Cabinet should govern, we’re still dealing with ourselves,” he said, reiterating that he still views the manner in which Slovakia procured the Sputnik V vaccine negatively.
