At the meeting with former prime minister Robert Fico who is currently leading the disinformation scene in Slovakia, ambassadors expressed their concerns about his party´s foreign policy orientation.
The ambassadors of EU Member States, the United Kingdom and the United States in Slovakia met with the former prime minister and leader of the strongest opposition political party Smer-SD (S&D), in the National Council.
In recent months, Fico has been building his popularity on the disinformation scene, propelling an anti-vaccine agenda during the pandemic, leading NATO-sceptic rhetoric and engaging in aggressive politics against President Zuzana Čaputová, calling her repeatedly an American agent. In July, the Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation placed Fico on its list of pro-Russian propagandists.
Ambassadors justified the meeting as the continuation of their regular contacts with Slovak political parties and their leadership, however, they were vocal about the party´s controversial agenda.
“The French ambassador, together with other ambassadors, expressed his concerns about the foreign policy orientation of the Smer-SD party,” the French embassy in Slovakia stated.
The American Ambassador to Slovakia, Gautam Rana, reiterated the “extreme importance to fight disinformation in Slovakia, including those who spread lies about the United States and our embassy”.
“Fabricating and repeating disinformation for short-term political gain damages democratic institutions and diminishes people’s trust in their elected officials,” Rana added.
According to Smer-SD, its representatives handed the diplomats “evidence and relevant documents (…) confirming a gross abuse of criminal law against the Slovak opposition”.
Fico was forced to leave his role as prime minister after nationwide protests that followed the murder of a journalist and his fiancée in 2018.
He is currently under investigation, accused of establishing, masterminding, and supporting a criminal group, abuse of power, and jeopardising confidential tax information while in office. Yet, as a sitting MP, he enjoys protection from arrest.
(Lucia Yar | EURACTIV.sk)
Source: euractiv.com
