Slovakia’s negative stance towards the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence is not subject to change, Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko said on Thursday, July 22, during his working visit to Prague in the wake of a decision in the afternoon from the International Court of Justice in The Hague that Kosovo's declaration of independence was not illegal, the TASR newswire reported.
Unlike Slovakia, the Czech Republic recently joined the US and many other EU-member states in recognising Kosovo as a state.
According to Galko, Slovakia has an interest in securing stability in the Balkans. To that end, it dispatched 140 members of the armed forces to the KFOR mission. He said Slovakia will not take part in training Kosovo security forces but he will not prevent the training from taking place.
The verdict of the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence will have no direct impact on the stance of Slovakia regarding the issue, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Peter Stano told the TASR newswire. The stance of Slovakia continues to be based on the resolution of the UN Security Council, according to which Kosovo will be under UN administration until its international status is resolved by agreement between Serbia and Kosovo or by the decision of the UN Security Council.
Slovakia's stance is also based on the resolution passed by Parliament on March 28, 2007. The Slovak resolution says that Kosovo's status must be addressed in accordance with the UN Charter and other international norms as well as respecting the legitimate requests of Serbia. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the declaration of Kosovo's independence two and a half years ago did not violate international law, as the relevant statutes contain no ban on passing such declarations.
The verdict of the ICJ in The Hague turned international law into a piece of useless paper, said Slovak National Party (SNS) vice-chair Anna Belousovová in reaction. According to her, this verdict enables the law of the stronger to prevail – much as it was in barbaric societies.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
