The Polish prime minister left Bratislava under the impression that official Slovak foreign policy is presented by the president, not the head of the Slovak government. President Gašparovič was the only one in the host country to repeat what the Slovak representative said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Following the meeting three weeks ago, NATO spokesman James Appathurai summarized the results of talks between all 26 members: "The allies agreed that Europe is threatened by rocket attacks. There is full agreement between all members that the anti-rocket defence system does not represent a threat to Moscow, and cannot lead to a loss of strategic balance in Europe".
While the "personal" opinion of Robert Fico is in stark contrast with this agreement, which Slovakia also supported, President Gašparovič communicated the same position the country advocated among its allies. The president said the planned construction of the anti-rocket defence was part of the fight against terrorism, because "when you have in the world a statesman who says another state should be wiped off the map, you have to take notice of such statements." The president also said the US and Russia should work together on building the defence system.
According to the Constitution, the president represents Slovakia to the world. According to current practice, he also represents state policy.
Sme, May 14
