The speaker of the Slovak parliament, Andrei Danko, declared that it was inadmissible to deploy American military facilities and soldiers in the country.
“We will insist that the new agreement on cooperation with the United States in the field of defense does not contain a word about the temporary or permanent presence of the US Armed Forces in the republic,” said Danko.
A statement about this was made on the air of the Slovak Radio on the eve of the conclusion of a new cooperation agreement with Washington in the military field (Defense Cooperation Agreement, DCA).
Earlier, Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak set off for talks in the United States. The key task of the foreign minister is to agree on the text of the agreement, which would exclude the deployment of US troops.
At the end of February 2019, a conference of the “Bucharest Nine” was held in the Slovak city of Kosice - Eastern European participants of NATO (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria). During the panel discussion, Lajčak denied rumors that Bratislava was conducting secret talks on the construction of US military facilities in Slovakia.
“There will be no base until we ourselves ask NATO for this, we are partners in the alliance, and the alliance does not make a decision without consulting us. This is very important to understand, ”said the Minister.
- Chairman of the Slovak Parliament Andrei Danko
- globallookpress.com
- © Katerina Sulova / CTK
“Bonded conditions”
Slovakia joined NATO on March 29, 2004. The army of the republic is a regular participant in the alliance exercises. The website of the US Embassy in Slovakia states that Bratislava is participating in the strengthening of the “eastern flank” of the military bloc.
The United States is the leading supplier of weapons to Slovakia. In 2015, Bratislava signed a contract with the United States for the purchase of nine H-60M Black Hawk multipurpose helicopters for € 261 million. This is the largest export weapon agreement in the post-socialist history of Slovakia. American cars replaced the Soviet Mi-17 helicopters.
Despite cooperation with the United States, for 15 years, Slovakia has not been able to complete the transition to NATO technical standards and continues to use military equipment of the Soviet era. In particular, Bratislava is not armed with air defense weapons that are compatible with modern air defense systems of western production.
Yulia Shcherbakova, Senior Researcher at the Eastern European Division, INION RAS, told RT that Slovakia had joined NATO in order to “gain an umbrella of security and get the alliance’s weapons”.
“But in the end, the re-equipment of the Slovak army stalled. The main reason is a weak economy, which did not allow an increase in the military budget and the implementation of large-scale purchases of military equipment and machinery. Slovakia, like the other member countries of the alliance, does not reach the 2% level (the share of military spending on GDP in the NATO is mandatory in NATO - RT ), ”the expert noted.
On the eve of the 15th anniversary of Bratislava’s membership in NATO, the US Ambassador to Slovakia Adam Sterling on the pages of The Slovak Spectator has called on the country's leadership to strengthen military cooperation with Washington. In particular, the United States intends to invest in the modernization of the Malacky and Sliac airbases within the framework of the European Containment Initiative (EDI) program.
The materials of the US Embassy in Slovakia state that the improvement of aviation infrastructure must satisfy the “long-term strategic needs” of the republic. For these purposes, the Americans promised to allocate $ 105 million. After the modernization, as promised by the United States, the infrastructure will remain in the ownership of the Slovak government. However, Sterling noted that Bratislava will receive American funds if it signs a new treaty on defense cooperation.
At the same time, the diplomat did not specify the conditions put forward by the United States. In an interview with RT, RISI expert, Doctor of Historical Sciences Oksana Petrovskaya said that Washington insists on fixing the Pentagon’s right to transfer and deploy American troops in Slovakia in the agreement with Bratislava. It is for this reason that the United States is persuading the authorities of the republic to agree on the modernization of air bases.
- US Army troops in Eastern Europe
- Reuters
- © Kacper Pempel / File
“Since 2014, the United States has steadily increased its military presence in Europe under the pretext of“ deterring ”Russia. Americans expect to use for their own purposes the infrastructure of NATO member states. First of all, we are talking about Eastern Europe. Slovakia is no exception, and the visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in February 2019 to Bratislava is a clear confirmation of this, ”noted Petrovskaya.
The expert believes that Washington imposes on the Eastern European allies "enslaving conditions" in the issue of the deployment of American troops. In particular, according to her, the defense contract option for Bratislava provides for the possibility of deploying US army units for an indefinite period.
“Moreover, Slovakia will be able to terminate this agreement only ten years after its signing. Also, the authorities of Slovakia must notify the Americans about withdrawal from the contract 12 months before its termination. Naturally, the proposals of the United States did not like the Slovaks. In Bratislava, it was considered that the signing of the treaty could lead to the loss of sovereignty, ”stated Petrovskaya.
"A way to preserve independence"
Experts interviewed by RT believe that Slovakia refuses to deploy American bases because it does not want to spoil relations with Russia. In their opinion, the statement of Danko testifies to the desire of Bratislava to pursue a sovereign policy and minimize dependence on the United States.
“In Slovakia, there is no anti-American sentiment in its pure form. But Bratislava is much more into Europe and Russia, seeing cooperation with other poles of power as a way to preserve independence. The speaker of the Slovak parliament once again made it clear that Bratislava does not intend to act in favor of other people's interests, ”said Scherbakova.
- Vladimir Putin meets with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico
- RIA News
- © Mikhail Klimentyev
According to the political scientist, Slovakia has a small political weight, but the republic is trying to underline its status of an equal participant in the North Atlantic Treaty by refusing to deploy American bases. In addition, Bratislava is aware of the scale of the negative consequences of pro-American politics.
“Slovaks are trying to stick to a pragmatic course. The country's economy is highly dependent on the supply of Russian energy resources. Despite the ongoing confrontation between the West and Russia, Slovak politicians refrain from Russophobic statements and harsh rhetoric against Moscow, ”said Shcherbakova.
In an interview with RT, Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy of the RSUH, stated that Bratislava does not belong to the “Russophobian flank”. For this reason, as the expert explained, Slovakia often receives reproaches from the West in the pro-Russian orientation.
“Unlike other European government figures, Danko came to Crimea more than once. The current Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini is also loyal to Moscow. He doubts the need to maintain anti-Russian sanctions, ”Trukhachev said.
According to the expert, the President of Slovakia Zuzana Chaputova is a pro-Western politician, but her power is symbolic. All key issues are decided by the parliament and the government.
In turn, Petrovskaya holds a slightly different point of view. She believes that in the Slovak elite and society there is a serious confrontation between supporters of the pro-Western and pro-Russian vectors of development. However, according to the expert, the greatest potential of those who are on the side of Moscow and "leading the eurosceptics."
“Slovakia, unlike the Czech Republic and Poland, is historically closer to the East. This is a fairly conservative and patriarchal country that is committed to traditional Christian values. Despite the presence of liberals in the country's leadership, the overwhelming majority of citizens have a negative attitude towards any foreign military presence, ”Petrovskaya concluded.