The Slovak Foreign Ministry summoned the Dutch ambassador to Slovakia, claiming that the Dutch had interfered in Slovakia’s internal affairs by offering the premises of their embassy in Prague for a discussion on the political situation in Slovakia.
Soon after the summoning, the event organiser, Czech NGO The Center for an Informed Society, clarified it was not the Dutch embassy organising it. “We reject that this event was supposed to in any way interfere in the internal affairs of Slovakia,” the Center said.
On Thursday, the Slovak Foreign Ministry said it had received an apology from the Dutch and assurances that the discussion would not occur on the embassy’s premises. It refused to comment further on the situation, saying it “cherishes the good relations with the Netherlands.”
The day before, however, it called the discussion “unacceptable” and “one-sided.” In a harsh statement, it condemned the role played by the Dutch embassy in the event:
“We reject such interference in the internal affairs of Slovakia. At the same time, we express serious concerns about the organisers, who invited diplomatic representatives of EU countries operating in the Czech Republic to a politically oriented event to evaluate the political situation in Slovakia, except the Slovak Embassy in the Czech Republic,” the Slovak Foreign Ministry wrote on Wednesday.
The ministry also specifically mentioned the presence of two speakers – Rastislav Káčer, former foreign minister in 2022 – 2023, and Juraj Rizman, Slovak security expert and partner of Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.
“A person looks at the news and can’t help but wonder,” Káčer said in response. I have never been so ashamed of my colleagues and the ministry I helped to build from scratch. Never.”
According to Denník N sources, the meeting will not be cancelled entirely but will be held in another venue.
The Slovak-Dutch row over the event came as the Czech Republic suspended intergovernmental cooperation with Slovakia, citing “significant differences on foreign policy issues.” The Czech Republic and Slovakia were one country until 1993 and have maintained strong bilateral ties since their peaceful separation.
(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)
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Source: euractiv.com
