Ever since its birth in 1993, the independent Slovak Republic as an EU associated country has through the manifestos of all its governments identified with the integration process in Europe. While our Central European neighbours - Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic - have been successful in the process of joining the European and trans-Atlantic structures and they already have one foot on the steps of the running train, Slovakia remained somewhere half-way. In connection with this process, Ľubomír Mešťánek, editor, made an attempt at an analysis of the present geopolitical position of the Slovak Republic in interviews with representatives of the government coalition and opposition, which he has processed and which he renders in his article in the form of direct speech of the protagonists.

Priorities in the foreign policy orientation, position of the Slovak Republic in the international arena

Eduard Kukan (Slovak Democratic Coalition)

The priority of the foreign policy orientation of the Slovak Republic is a clear orientation at joining the European Union, NATO and OECD. That is the only realistic way to preserve and strengthen the independence and prosperity of our country in the future. This certainly does not mean that we should not try to have good and mutually advantageous relations also with other countries. The position of Slovakia in the international arena has been in motion ever since the 1998 election. We are on the way to its real strengthening, which should culminate in our full integration into European and trans-Atlantic structures. This is not an easy task, especially from the economic point of view. However, I believe in the ability and resolve of our people to overcome any obstacles on this road and thus join the prosperous countries. Only a country which is internally firm and stabilised can gain respect and recognition in the international arena.

Ján Čarnogurský (Christian Democratic Movement)

Traditional Slovak policy has been the policy of joining East and West. For centuries, Germans used to live in Slovakia and there were no conflicts between the Slovak and the German inhabitants. After the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, Russian immigrants were settling in Slovakia, founding Orthodox monasteries and they also felt well here. This traditional line of Slovak policy was broken by the Mečiar government which totally "upset" its relations with the European Union. During his government Slovakia remained optically linked to Russia, which, however, was not true politically. Even if Vladimír Mečiar had wanted to lead Slovakia into an exclusive and close alliance with Russia, such "Mečiaresque" Slovakia would only have been a ballast for Russia, because Russia would not have been able to keep Slovakia from geopolitical pressures which the surrounding countries would have exerted against such Slovakia. I have expressed my opinions on the reticence of Slovakia when making decisions about NATO accession at a time when the USA held talks with Russia on the conditions of NATO enlargement, that is on conditions which would also apply to us. This is a classical situation where two super powers hold negotiations about conditions applicable also to third countries which wait for the outcome of the negotiations. However, Slovakia firmly remains a part of Central Europe, whose geopolitical destiny we share. If Slovakia today was outside NATO with Mečiar government, by now Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary - since in the menatime they have become members of the alliance - would perceive Slovakia as a danger for themselves, if not for another reason then because it would belong to other security structures than the above mentioned countries. That is why it is in the interest of Slovakia to belong to the same security system as these countries. Otherwise the pressure of these countries could start being directed against Slovakia, which Slovakia would not be able to sustain.

Peter Weiss (Party of the Democratic Left)

From the point of view of guaranteeing the security, long-term stability, development of the economy and overcoming the cultural backwardness inherited from the previous regime, it was a warning for Slovakia not to have been included in the first round of NATO enlargement and the first group of candidates for EU accession. This is because the national and state interest of such a small country as the Slovak Republic is completely clear from the point of view of the dramatic experience of this century: to be, to exist within a wider community, not to be isolated, not to be in some kind of grey area, somewhere on the margin, not to be a bridge anyone can trample on. A small country only has a chance if it manages to become part of a wider community with democratic rules of game. Small countries like the Slovak Republic, for example Denmark or Austria, benefited from the integration more than large countries. It is therefore in the national and state interest of the Slovak Republic to secure a stable environment for the country's development. This means having good extended relations with all neighbours, integrating in a collective security system and the European Union as a community which has for several decades been ensuring permanent stable peace, peaceful relations among all its member states, sufficient economic space (especially important for our export-oriented economy) and above all impulses and resources for overcoming cultural backwardness, for example linking up to the latest civilisation trends emerging at the turn of the millenium. I am convinced that the present government coalition will strengthen the position of the Slovak Republic in the international arena by its transparent policy and it will soon lead it to integration positions of those countries with which it once shared the same starting line.

Rudolf Schuster (Party of Civil Understanding)

Our position has been changing gradually, especially from the political point of view, the unfulfilled criteria for EU and NATO accession are being gradually fulfilled. It is more difficult with the economic criteria whose fulfilment will probably take slightly longer due to the state of our economy. In this area we have been looking for a way out in cooperation with foreign businessmen. Any country which wants to prosper has to have good relations especially with its neighbours. We need to improve our relations with the Czech Republic not in words, but in actions, with the aim of a more intense cooperation. The same applies to our relations with Poland. It is slightly problematic with Hungary, but here we have also been taking decisive steps on both sides in order to improve our mutual relations. If you have a look at the map of Central Europe, you cannot fail to see that from the pragmatic point of view without us NATO would only be able to exist with difficulties, or only at very high cost.

Árpád Duka - Zólyomi (Party of the Hungarian Coalition)

The Slovak Republic is a young country, nothing is easy for us. However, the starting position of the Slovak Republic was not bad at the outset. But the internal political situation did not manage to crystallise in such a way as to achieve a balanced political scene. Since Slovakia needed to demonstrate its willingness and will to integrate into European and trans-Atlantic structures, it should have accepted some political and economic requirements of these structures. The possibility and obligation to fulfil them is always a matter of the government, its scope and powers. However, the Mečiar governments did not manage that, they were unable to ensure the integration of the Slovak Republic in spite of having set it as one of the priorities of their manifestos. That is a statement of principle which cannot be interpreted in any other way than as a failure and everything else is secondary. We also have to start from this if we talk about the present day position of the Slovak Republic in the international arena, which, however, made a principal change for better after the 1998 election. We have started being accepted and it is only a question of time when we are fully accepted.

Oľga Keltošová (Movement for a Democratic Slovakia)

The position of the Slovak Republic is being evaluated abroad on two levels. On the economic level as one of the most successful transforming country of Central Europe. On the political level the opinions differ, most often in relation to the geopolitical position of the evaluating country. From my short work at the United Nations I can confirm that the Slovak Republic had a good reputation especially in connection with our peace missions under the UN flag. No one has been reproaching us for non-fulfilment of some political criteria, as it is being done by the European Union with regard to our integration efforts in Europe. The present situation worries me a little, because members of the present government often make contradictory appearances abroad, as though without mutual coordination, with subsequent counterproductive results. If the previous as well as the present government set themselves as a priority number one the integration into EU and NATO, then the present government should subordinate all its steps to this goal. Unfortunately, it often acts to the contrary, for example by unfavourable assessment of the economic situation of its own country at international fora. That is not done, even if it was true.

Jozef Prokeš (Slovak National Party)

In spite of all the declarations, our position in the international arena is worse today than it was in the previous period, under the previous government. Foreign and also domestic policy of the state should be oriented at the interests of its citizens, and not to benefit someone else. When characterising any relationship, there applies a saying: "If your partner praises you, you are probably doing something wrong." I do not think that the Slovak Republic should be trying to join some groupings, whether it be EU or NATO, at any cost. Accession to anything can only be a means to achieve something, and so it cannot become an end, as has happened in our case. If we are unable to define who is threatening us, then let us not talk about the need of security under the NATO umbrella. Security always has to be protection against someone. Who is that in our case? An invasion of Martians? As far as the integration to the EU is concerned: if a door is open for someone somewhere, that does not yet mean that once they enter the door, they will also find something there. If the doors are ajar for us everywhere, the question also is for us not to catch cold from the draught... Our foreign policy should be balanced, no artificial barriers should be put up in the Easterly direction. Unless we learn how to make sovereign policy, we will remain to be seen as second category state and nation.

Natural and strategic allies of the Slovak Republic

Eduard Kukan (Slovak Democratic Coalition)

Our neighbouring countries should be our natural allies. It is our natural interest to have good and stabilised relations with them. Countries which in a decisive manner determine the development in Europe and in the world should be our strategic allies. It is necessary in our strategy to orient ourselves above all at the USA which is the decisive super power in the world. Within Europe it is Germany and France, the driving force of European integration, which represent a strategic priority for us. To a considerable extent the situation in Europe will be developing in a way in which these two countries will be able to agree and in a way in which they will manage to stand side by side.

Ján Čarnogurský (Christian Democratic Movement)

I do not see a difference between a natural and a strategic ally, because the natural ally is as a rule also the strategic ally. From the point of view of importance, my order on the list of allies for Slovakia is as follows: 1, surrounding Central European countries, 2, European Union, 3, Russia.

Peter Weiss (Party of the Democratic Left)

The most natural ally of the Slovak Republic is the Czech Republic. Who can be closer to us than a country with the people of which we spent together 74 years in a complex history? It is unforgivable that the relations between these two countries were so cold after the spilt-up of the federation, where five years after the split the blame was put on a kind of "post-divorce syndrome". It is also important to improve our relations with the Poles, who are linguistically and psychologically our second closest nation. We have been hearing speeches about the Slav mutuality, and it implies Serbia or Russia which are miles away, instead of the historically and geographically close Czech Republic and Poland. I consider it important to understand also the importance of our relations with the Ukraine with regard to its key role in creating a new economic system. Had the Mečiar government behaved in a different way, there would have been a chance to have much better relations with Austria, in whose vital interest it is for the Slovak Republic to become an EU member state, and the relations with Hungary could also have been better. We also had great chances to find "patrons" in Germany and France. History cannot be undone, however, today Slovakia has new opportunities, they only have to be used in the correct way. I will not be listing whom we do not want as an ally, but it would be very bad if the Slovak Republic had allies in coutries with nationalistic, chauvinistic regimes.

Rudolf Schuster (Party of Civil Understanding)

We are now in fact coming back to Europe, after we were artificially snatched out of it through the results of the Second World War. That is why our allies should be above all the EU and NATO member states, however, without us turning our back on Russia and the Ukraine. It would be a grave error to turn away from the Russian or Ukrainian markets. We do not see Russia as an enemy and we would not like them to be our enemy, however, politically we are coming back to Europe. Our natural and strategic allies therefore are our neighbouring countries and developed EU countries such as Germany, France and the UK, without omitting the neigbouring Austria which used to be our speaker at the time of "hard borders".

Árpád Duka - Zólyomi (Party of the Hungarian Coalition)

All the EU member states should be our strategic allies. The natural allies of the Slovak Republic should be the neigbouring countries, which is after all logical from the point of view of stability of a region. In the European presence, efforts for good neigbourly relations are often burdened with inherited historical prejudices, but an end has to be put to that at some point. If there is a real desire for united Europe, as an equivalent of USA and South East Asia (and from the point of view of future of the "old continent" such an aim is a strategic geopolitical inevitability), then each member state will have to change its optics in relation to its neighbours. If such eternal rivals as the Germans and the French managed to do that, there is no reason to doubt that others can do that too. Concerns of those of our people who claim that by integration into the EU, joining which involves giving up part of the sovereignty (some powers), our state interests will be damaged, the integrity of the state compromised, or even that the Slovak Republic could disappear from the map, are unfounded. The contrary is true. It will be a strong and democratic European Union which will make sure that similar concerns do not become a reality for its member states.

Dušan Slobodník (Movement for a Democratic Slovakia)

Slovakia is not a country which would be able to determine an independent orientation of its foreign policy without regard for those structures which exist in Europe. We have to try to get on well with all those who have a positive attitude towards the Slovak Republic. That is why I do not distinguish between natural and strategic allies for the Slovak Republic. Of course, our priority orientation toward the EU and NATO in a way predetermines also our alliances. That, however, does not mean that we would not want to know about our Slavonic allies and about our alliance with China.

Jozef Prokeš (Slovak National Party)

In politics there are no allies or friends, the only thing that can be discussed is common interests at a specific point in time. It follows from the whole history of mankind that if there is common interest, alliance also exists, once the common interest is gone, alliance dies. Where were the allies of the Czechoslovak Republic during Munich and after it? Who in fact were our allies during the invasion by the Warsaw Pact armies? And these are just examples from recent times. It is true that some natural affinities do exist, which we should not disregard. Similarly to the existence of for example the association of French-speaking countries, we should not forget that we belong among a group of nations with related characteristics. If pan-Hungariansim, pan-Germanism or pan-Europeism can be positively perceived, we should not allow pan-Slavism to be condemned.