Danko: I Want to Bring Information from Moscow that Would Open Eyes to Slovaks

(TA3, 'V politike', January 5) The aim of the parliamentary delegation's January trip to Moscow is to resume communication and gather information that would make Slovaks "open up their eyes" and see how it works in the Russian Federation, especially in the field of economic cooperation with the West, coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) leader and House vice-chair Andrej Danko said on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday. Danko confirmed that he'll meet representatives of the Russian Parliament and the government. "We want to understand certain positions, legislation and restore some relations with Russia," said Danko, who wants to focus on issues of cooperation with big western companies. "I want to open the eyes to people in Slovakia, as it is declared here that no German or American companies do business with Russia," he said. He views the trip of the six-strong parliamentary delegation, composed of Smer-SD and SNS MPs, as a continuation of the dialogue that Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) launched at his level during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before Christmas. At the same time, Danko stressed the importance of the Russian gas for Slovakia and for the whole of Europe. "You can't start using a different gas overnight, it doesn't work like that. Similarly, our nuclear power plants can use no other but Russian nuclear fuel," he said. The House vice-chair also commented on the potential Russian-Ukrainian peace summit in Bratislava. He believes that the Slovak capital could really host such a meeting and called on the opposition to join the idea and help make it happen. "We can persuade Putin, so let them try to convince [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy," said Danko. He is sure that an international arrest warrant for the Russian president would not be a problem for holding the summit, as he cannot imagine Putin's arrest in "the position that the Russian Federation has". ko