Blanar: Fico's Planned Attendance of Victory Day in Moscow Sovereign Decision

Bratislava, April 23 (TASR) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) views the planned participation of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Moscow as a sovereign decision made by the prime minister of a sovereign country. Blanar was speaking on Wednesday in response to comments by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who warned EU leaders against visiting Moscow for this occasion. The minister emphasised that the EU is a union of sovereign states. "The prime minister of a sovereign country has the right to decide what he deems appropriate without being told what to do," stated Blanar. He added that the purpose of Fico's visit to Moscow is to honour a historical event and stressed that it has nothing to do with the current foreign policy situation. On Monday (April 21), Kallas warned leaders of EU-member states against attending the Victory Day celebration in Moscow on May 9, which Russia observes as the end of WWII. Given that Russia is currently waging war in Europe, she said that their participation would not be taken lightly. In response, Fico said that no one can tell him where he can or cannot travel. "I will go to Moscow to pay tribute to the thousands of Red Army soldiers who were killed liberating Slovakia, as well as to the millions of victims of Nazi brutality. Just as I have honored the victims of the Normandy landings, and the Pacific landings, just as I will pay respects to RAF pilots," he stated. mf/df