The conflict between the Czech Republic and Slovakia was no joke, the reason for this is a different attitude toward what is happening in Ukraine. And the conflict has already become so big that it has moved from behind the scenes to the official plane.
The lack of unity of views resulted in the Czech Republic unilaterally canceling the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. It became an unpleasant surprise for both politicians and citizens of both countries. The fact is that Slovakia and the Czech Republic have powerful political, economic, geographical, and historical ties. Considering this, they hold joint meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers, which has long become the norm. And now, it seems, the time has come when even the most stable relations are crumbling in Europe. Otherwise, what else can explain the cancellation of this traditional event, and also as a result of the conflict?
What was the reason?
The discord began against the background of the fact that Slovak Minister Blanar held an official meeting in Turkey with Russian politician Sergey Lavrov. The recently elected prime minister of Slovakia Fico reacted to this saying that his country is pursuing the correct foreign policy.
Perhaps it would not have caused such a stir if it were not for Robert Fico’s recent statement that he sympathizes with Russia and considers Vladimir Putin to be “unreasonably demonized.” The prime minister also said that the cause of the war is not Putin or even political manipulation, but “the rampage of Ukrainian neo-Nazis.” He also called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Not friends anymore?
The Czech Republic looks at it differently because a peaceful settlement is only the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of attacks on the territory of Ukraine, and Russia does not want to hear about it. Recently, Prague has been showing an increasingly pro-Ukrainian position, as evidenced by, for example, the recent initiative to purchase 800,000 shells for the Ukrainian army urgently. Another step is planning joint enterprises of Ukraine’s defense industry.
This position does not suit Slovakia. Last autumn, in the parliamentary elections, new forces came to power here, which promised to end military support for Ukraine and block its membership in NATO. The Slovak prime minister is known for quoting Kremlin narratives, so, it is expected that the conflict between the Czech Republic and Slovakia will continue to deepen.
Obviously, Russia is very interested in the complete return of both countries under its influence, as it was during the times of the Soviet Union. And it seems that Slovakia and the Czech Republic have already decided whether they want to have a common future with an empire, that is always at war.
