The re-election of Barack Obama is positive in three ways, Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Firstly, his foreign policy style is viewed positively in Europe and Slovakia; secondly, US partners (including Slovakia) already know him and his team as well as the current agenda; and it is always beneficial to continue what has been started [in terms of the mutual relations between the two the countries], Lajčák concluded. He added, however, that looking at the current state of these two nations’ mutual relations, who sits in the White House is not of vital importance.
Slovak prime Minister Robert Fico was quoted by TASR as saying that he considers the matter to be an issue for US voters, and each country tends to pick the president it deems the best. “American voters decided for the incumbent President Barack Obama, who is politically undeniably closer to my party than his opponent. But I will again limit myself to state that I respect the choice of US voters,” PM said.
Chairman of the opposition Christian-Democratic Movement (KDH) and former EU Commissioner Ján Figeľ expects more emphasis on foreign policy after Obama’s re-election. He told the SITA newswire that the four years of his first term were more dedicated to domestic economic and social issues. “The re-election can bring a more intense Euro-Atlantic dialogue, economic, security and overall cooperation,” he concluded.
Former Slovak Ambassador to the USA, Rastislav Káčer, and Slovak MP and head of the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs František Šebej (Most-Híd) agree that US foreign policy, as well as the US relationship with Slovakia, will not change substantially after the US presidential election. They add, however, that if Republican candidate Mitt Romney won, he would probably strive more to bring America and Europe closer. Káčer added for SITA that for him, Obama’s re-election was no big surprise.
Head of the Centre for European and North-Atlantic Alliance, Róbert Ondrejcsák, told SITA that, according to him, Americans played it safe when they selected Obama for the second consecutive time. It was therefore no surprise after the results of the US presidential election were made public, as he summed up for SITA on Wednesday, November 7.
(Source: TASR, SITA)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
