KDH and KDU-CSL: Czech-Slovak Ties Above-Average, Rise of Populism a Threat (2)

Brno/Bratislava, April 22 (TASR-correspondent) - The fact that intergovernmental consultations between the Czech and Slovak Cabinets have been scrapped doesn't take anything away from the above-average ties between the two countries, representatives of Slovak KDH party and Czech KDU-CSL agreed at their talks in Brno on Monday. Both parties concurred that they see as a joint threat the rise of populism and growing Russian influence, TASR learnt from KDH's and KDU-CSL's press departments. "A single cancelled intergovernmental consultation doesn't change anything about the fact that our ties are above-average," underlined Czech Environment Minister and KDU-CSL vice-chair Petr Hladik. Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny added that despite the scrapped intergovernmental consultations, Slovakia remains one of the most crucial foreign partners for the Czech Republic. "We face the same problem and that's the rise of populist parties that jeopardise the very essence of democracy. I'd like to emphasise that I still consider the Slovaks my brothers. What I have a problem with is populism and the support for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's regime," added Hladik. KDH vice-chair Marian Caucik claimed that the Czech side had invited the Slovak Christian Democrats to Moravia at the time when the Slovak and Czech Cabinets were originally supposed to hold talks at that location. This sends a signal that both Slovakia and KDH have partners abroad. "That cooperation is all the more important at a time when we are beginning to see that freedom and democracy didn't drop from heaven for us, but, on the contrary, even after November 1989 [the time of the Velvet Revolution-ed.note] it is necessary to fight for them. We appreciate this longstanding partnership and we will continue our fight for democracy," he said. mf/mcs