Rasi Won't Go for End of WWII Celebrations in Moscow with Premier

(STVR, 'Sobotne dialogy', March 29) Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), new House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) said that he won't go for the celebrations of the end of WWII in Moscow with Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), adding that his first foreign trip in the office should be to the Czech Republic. "I won't accompany the premier; it is his decision that he announced in advance. It is his clear position and he will make this trip," said Rasi. Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party leader Branislav Groehling, also on the show, doesn't know who would want to go to Red Square to see Vladimir Putin. "Innocent people are killed at the order of this man," he said, stressing that Russia is an aggressor trying to annex a sovereign foreign territory. Rasi declared that Slovakia's security is and will be one of the main issues regardless of what political garniture is currently in power. He praised the fact that President Peter Pellegrini organised a roundtable meeting of parliamentary parties on defence. Rasi views the 'Slovakia' party, which wasn't invited to the meeting, as a destructive element in both the opposition and the coalition, adding that it isn't an alternative. "The constructive part of the opposition was invited, not the destructive one," he said. Groehling said that the defence spending dominated the roundtable discussion with the president. According to SaS, Slovakia needs a plan for the development of its defence forces, but also a plan for increasing spending. However, this is not possible without a functioning economy of the country, stated Groehling. SaS views the current minimum limit of 2 percent of GDP as the basis, said Groehling, adding that his party is the only one to refuse to include dual-use (military and civilian) projects in these expenditures. ko