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Kukan: Slovakia's Foreign Policy Has Become too Omnidirectional
Wednesday 05 May 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, May 5 (TASR) - The basic orientation of Slovakia's foreign policy on all cardinal points – as described by Prime Minister Robert Fico – is misguided, former foreign affairs minister and now MEP Eduard Kukan (SDKU-DS) told TASR on Wednesday.
"If we don't have our priorities defined clearly, we can hardly appear as a trustworthy partner ... because claiming that we're interested in relations headed out to all four corners (of the globe) at the same level isn't good, and can more possibly raise questions among our allies," Kukan explained. He added that priorities have to be defined more specifically as they are too ambiguous now.
Kukan is at the same time convinced that the Government has devoted too much effort in developing relations with Russia. "It's an important partner and a player on the global scene, but the relations with it should be appropriate in terms of our position as a NATO and EU member," he claims.
The former minister recalled that the Government declared in its Manifesto an effort to give priority to its neighbours, but many disturbing effects have appeared, especially when it comes to Slovak-Hungarian relations. "The tensions and problems that we've experienced were needless and we should have proceeded differently," he thinks.
He praised the last four years of the ministry for completing the EU-integration process and building on all the positive things that have were done earlier – under his watch as minister 1998-2006.
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