It has been clear that the Czech Republic has been closely connected with Slovakia since the year when their common state disintegrated in 1993. The political scenes of both countries connect well -known personalities with the past in one or the other country. It is therefore not surprising that representatives of one country often speak of the other.
Recently, the Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka, the Archbishop of Prague, was apologized last week at the Cyril-Methodian pilgrimage. He asked the Slovaks to forgive the Czech “mentors”. According to him, they try to instruct them about democracy and freedom.
Cardinal Duka in Nitra recalled historical tensions between Slovaks and Czechs, including protests against the Prague government in 1933, and expressed concern that history is “worryingly repeating”. He apologized for those Czechs who are now “forgotten that democracy, as Masaryk said, assumes respect, piety and tolerance.”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed his gratitude to Duk and emphasized the importance of good Slovak-Czech relations. These are currently tense for different attitudes in foreign policy.
But “mixing into politics”, in this case to the Czech, often took place from the Slovak side.
Let us recall at least some of the cases where Czech political personalities commented on Slovak politics and supported one of her personalities, including Fico himself at key moments.
1. Václav Klaus in 1999 supported Vladimír Mečiar
The head of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Václav Klaus decided to support Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar just before the second round of the Slovak presidential election. Exactly at that time, his counter -candidate, the leader of the government coalition Rudolf Schuster, received support from many Western politicians who, as Czech, informed, unlike Klaus Mečiar’s return to top politics, fear.
At that time, Meciar lobbied for the elimination of Slovakia from integration into NATO and the EU and the isolation of Slovakia on the geopolitical map of the world.
“Slovakia will choose the president for his image and no one should interfere from the outside. I will only say this: not only in Slovakia but also in the Czech Republic should be elected president, which is behind some idea, political power, concrete people. Politician who is a solitaire can not enforce anything.”
2. Jiří Paroubek supported Robert Fico in 2006 when Socialists suspended membership
CSSD chairman Jiří Paroubek, Robert Fico as the only left -wing prime minister when European socialists proposed to suspend Direction’s membership in their organization for gaining a nationalist CIS into the government.
Paroubek then said that he “sees no eccentricities” in the program of Slovak nationalists, appreciating Fico’s self -confidence. He pointed out to the European socialists that “only after 100 days it will be possible to evaluate the actions of the Slovak government”.
Paroubek also said that if European socialists take steps against Direction, they would stop going to their meetings. Fico was supposed to make sure that if an eccentric statement of the Slovak nationalist appeared, the “yellow card” would be followed. “Red is sometimes coming after the yellow card,” Paroubek added.
3. Milos Zeman in 2014 supported Robert Fico
Czech President Zeman, in the second round of the presidential election in Slovakia, will be won by Direction chairman Robert Fico. According to Zeman, Fico, as Prime Minister, has proved his own.
Zeman called on Fico to activate voters who did not vote in the first round before the second round of the election and encouraged him to participate in television duels.
“I would like to express my solidarity and support to Robert Fico,” emphasized the Czech President at a meeting with journalists. He pointed out that he was acting on his own initiative and that Fico did not apply for public support. According to Zeman, such a form of support among left -wing politicians is common.
4. Václav Klaus supported Robert Fico in 2023
Former Czech President Vaclav Klaus before Robert Fico’s elections. “In your success, we see a chance for Slovakia to remain a democratic country and to be left by itself,” he wrote in the letter to the chairman of the Direction. In the letter he also describes “brutal attacks” on Fico and Direction.
“We agree with you that we need to rely on Slovak citizens, Slovak voter and not comments in the New York Times or other foreign media, including Czech,” Klaus continues.
“Take this letter as an expression of our support at the end of the pre -election struggle,” says the letter signed by Klaus and the team of the Institute of Václav Klaus.
5. Andrej Babiš supported Robert Fico
Andrej Babiš before the Slovak parliamentary elections in 2023 Robert Fico and his party. He was often accused of being part of the campaign.
Before the elections in September 2023, Babiš wrote on social networks: “I wish the whole Slovakia to have a government that will work for a better life of his people and will strictly protect the interests of all Slovak citizens within Europe.”
Babiš later expressed concern about the progressive Slovakia movement, connected by their program with the Czech pirates: “Mr. Šimečka from Progressive Slovakia is the same as our pirates. Welcoming migrants, legalization of drugs, higher taxes, lower pensions and obedience to Brussels.
6. The crisis of diplomatic relations with Slovakia
In March 2024, the Czech government decided to joint intergovernmental consultations with Slovakia for significant differences in the views of key foreign policy issues. Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) said: “We do not consider it appropriate for us to carry out intergovernmental consultations with the Government of the Slovak Republic in the coming weeks or months.”
This decision came shortly after the meeting of the Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar with Russian boss diplomacy Sergei Lavrov, which Fiala described as “problematic”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský then added that he is personally left cool in view of foreign policy themes and noted: “If Slovakia is trying to diplomacy on both sides, the experience is such that you usually stay on the one hand.” Nevertheless, the communication between the resorts will continue.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized Prague’s decision and said that his government will never threaten deep Slovak-Czech relations. According to Fico: “We acknowledge that the Czech government set has decided to endanger them just because it is interested in promoting war in Ukraine, while the Slovak government wants to openly talk about peace.”
The then Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová regretted the situation and stated: “If we we weak foreign policy, we can lose friends. I regret it.
