Former Foreign Affairs Ministers: Gov't Destroying Foreign-political Consensus

Bratislava, January 16 (TASR) - The Slovak government has been destroying the long-term foreign-political consensus and relations with Slovakia's allies, doing so without any mandate and in contradiction with the majority opinion of society, according to a joint statement published by former foreign affairs ministers Pavol Demes, Milan Knazko, Mikulas Dzurinda, Ivan Korcok, Rastislav Kacer and Miroslav Wlachovsky on Thursday. This approach is weakening the country's position in the European Union and in NATO, thus damaging Slovakia's interests, stated the ministers. "In this connection, we strongly appeal to representatives of governing power to behave in a responsible manner and to stop pushing Slovakia out of our natural living space, running rough shod over relations with our closest partners and gambling with the reputation and security of our country," wrote the ministers. In addition to them, the statement was also signed by almost 30 former and current diplomats, including ambassadors. The statement's authors stressed that Slovakia's anchoring in the free world is not a matter of course and that the country has historical experience of a period in which it wasn't an equal and free member of the international community. "This experience teaches us that Slovakia's independence and prosperity are sustainable only in cooperation with partners with whom we share common values," they added. ko/df