The Czech Republic’s relations with Slovakia are at the most strained since the creation of two independent states in 1993, Prague’s Lidové noviny daily wrote on Thursday. On Tuesday evening, the Czech government canceled a planned meeting with the Slovak cabinet down to political reasons, which Bratislava did not take kindly, saying Prague wants to jeopardize relations “because it is interested in supporting the war in Ukraine.”
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Wednesday that the intergovernmental consultations, which have been held at least once a year until now, will not take place in the near future. “We have many common issues with Slovakia. However, there are also significant differences of opinion on key foreign policy topics,” said the PM.
A meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at a forum in Turkey last week was cited as the specific reason.
Leaving aside the cancellation of the joint cabinet meeting, Prague is unlikely to decide to hold the meeting of the heads of the Visegrad Group’s foreign ministries, which was planned for March 21 this year in Prague.
Since the breakup of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, the two countries have emphasized the uniqueness of their relations, which rely primarily on the many contacts between their residents.
It is customary for a newly elected politician in one country to go on his first visit to a partner from a neighboring country. The program of intergovernmental consultations was one element of this special relationship.
A meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at a forum in Turkey last week was cited as the specific reason.
Following Fiala’s statement, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico swiftly replied, saying that “the Czech government has decided to jeopardize Slovak-Czech relations simply because it is interested in supporting the war in Ukraine, while the Slovak government is talking about peace.”🇷🇺🇸🇰 FM Sergey Lavrov during talks with Slovakia's FM Juraj Blanar:
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) March 2, 2024
🤝 We prefer to collaborate with states where elected governments give top priority to national interests, as #Slovakia, #Hungary and many other countries do. We respect this.
🔗 https://t.co/521KE7mFuc pic.twitter.com/KPXch8TDgG
Leaving aside the cancellation of the joint cabinet meeting, Prague is unlikely to decide to hold the meeting of the heads of the Visegrad Group’s foreign ministries, which was planned for March 21 this year in Prague.
Since the breakup of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, the two countries have emphasized the uniqueness of their relations, which rely primarily on the many contacts between their residents.
It is customary for a newly elected politician in one country to go on his first visit to a partner from a neighboring country. The program of intergovernmental consultations was one element of this special relationship.
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