Two are always needed for good relations, and it also applies to the relationship between Slovakia and the Russian Federation. Martin Kluss (SaS), State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, told SITA.

A hybrid war is not good

At the same time, he added that the hybrid war that Russia is waging, for example, in the information space in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, is not conducive to a good relationship and the Ministry of Diplomacy is not willing to tolerate it.

At the end of the year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin received credentials from the new Slovak ambassador to Moscow, Lubomir Rehak, he said he wanted to cultivate good relations with Slovakia. Klus responded that Slovakia wants good relations with Russia and hopes that things that have happened in the past will not happen in the future.

“I believe that the hybrid wars, which they are also waging in disinformation campaigns, will no longer be as they are today. This fundamentally reduces the quality of democracy in Slovakia and, in the event of a pandemic, also public health,“Klus said.

Russia can be a friend and an ally

The Secretary of State wants Russia to be not only a trading partner, but also a friend and ally. He points to the 1990s, when NATO countries did military exercises with Russia (Slovakia was not yet a member of NATO at the time – note SITA). According to Klus, even in 2008 the mutual relations were connected in a good atmosphere. However, it began to “spoil” after Moscow’s operations in Georgia and later on the occupation of Crimea.

“But you can still go a short way. Why not talk about a European or even a common security architecture with the Russian Federation in the future? It helped everyone. Russia, the European Union and NATO,“Concluded the state secretary.