Speaking at the Svatopluk conference, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico asserted that the weakening of the Visegrád Four (V4) was intentional. “I believe that the V4 format was deliberately broken. It was the permanent pressure of large countries to break V4 as a strong regional association,” Fico said.

Fico also emphasized the importance of Czech-Slovak relations, calling for a revival of joint governmental negotiations. “I would use the expression of a mutual loan for Czech-Slovak relations. That’s how it was, that’s how it is and it must stay,” he stated. “Therefore, let us put pressure to revive the joint negotiations of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. I can confirm that the government of the Slovak Republic is ready to negotiate with our partner Czech government,” Fico added.

Fico: “West wanted to weaken Russia using Ukraine”

According to Fico, both the Czech Republic and Slovakia should prioritize peace initiatives concerning the conflict in Ukraine. “Today we are at a stage were we should make efforts to kill the Slavs in Ukraine. Ukraine is the greatest victim of this war because it was used as an instrument. The West thoght it would use Ukraine to weaken the Russian Federation, which failed,” the Slovak Prime Minister said.

“The West thought it would use Ukraine to weaken the russian Federation, which failed.”

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, initially aiming to quickly occupy Kiev and install a pro-Russian government. Ukrainian forces resisted, and Western nations have sence provided ample aid to Ukraine.

Intergovernmental consultations between Slovakia and the Czech Republic were suspended last year by the government of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, citing disagreements on key foreign policy issues, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Radek Vondráček, the Vice -Chairman of the ANO movement, indicated at the conference that resuming intergovernmental talks with Slovakia would be a priority. Kateřina Konečná, chairwoman of the Czech Communists, criticized Prime Minister Fiala’s decision to halt negotiations, while Radim Fiala, Vice -Chairman of the SPD movement, criticized what he sees as the Czech government’s subservience to EU interests.

The Minister bothers the meeting with the opposition

Matúš Šutaj Eštok, the Slovak Interior minister, criticized Czech politicians for meeting with Slovak opposition figures instead of engaging with their Slovak counterparts. “I consider it unfortunate that the highest Czech constitutional officials choose their partners with which they have the same views, instead of democratically elected representatives of the Slovak Republic,” said the chief of Voice.

The conference saw participation from Andrej Danko, the Vice -President of the Slovak Parliament and Prime Minister of the Slovak National Party, and also former Czech President Milos Zeman and former Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič.

Svatopluk was founded by political scientist Petr Drulák, economist Ilona Švihlíková, and publicist Michal Semín. Reports describe the conference as a gathering point for nationalists and communists, with attendees often promoting pro-Russian viewpoints regarding the war in ukraine.