Slovakia Belongs in European Union and NATO, Slovak Presidents Agree

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - The only place Slovakia should belong is the European Union (EU) and NATO, agreed former presidents Rudolf Schuster, Ivan Gasparovic, Andrej Kiska, Zuzana Caputova, and President Peter Pellegrini during a joint lunch at the Presidential Palace on Monday. "We may have different views on how the EU should function in the future or how the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation should be reformed, but we all agreed that Slovakia's place is in the European Union and NATO. In fact, one of the former presidents openly stated that if Slovakia were to leave the European Union, it is questionable whether the country would even survive," stated Pellegrini. He also assured that he wouldn't allow Slovakia to fall into isolation. Kiska asked Pellegrini to ensure that his voice is clearly heard on foreign policy matters. According to Kiska, the entire democratic world expects it. "We live in a time when symbols, gestures, words, and statements carry weight and the uncertainties that have recently arisen regarding Slovakia's foreign policy orientation naturally provoke reactions. What we need in Slovakia, especially given the degree of polarisation, are reassurances rather than uncertainties," said Caputova. Gasparovic would like the opposition and the coalition to realise that they should not fight among themselves, but rather help the people and the state. "And they can only do that if they find at least one path that confirms we belong to Europe, the EU, and NATO," remarked the former president. Schuster expects that in the near future, the opposition will come up with good legislative proposals that the coalition will approve. He sees changing the electoral system as the only solution to end the disputes between them. "Until the electoral system changes, things won't develop well," stated he. lin/mcs