STA, 5 April 2018 - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee discussed Thursday Slovenia's response to the recent nerve toxin attack in the UK believed to have been carried out by Russia. While the opposition claims Slovenia should have done more than recall its ambassador from Moscow, the prime minister and the foreign minister said this measure was appropriate.
Coalition MPs asked Prime Minister Miro Cerar about the grounds on which EU leaders adopted the decision that the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury was very likely ordered by Russia.
Cerar said that the 4 March incident was being investigated by a number of intelligence services which came to the conclusion that Russia was very likely behind this attack and that there are no convincing alternative explanations.
He underlined that the decision taken at the most recent EU summit was not a legal decision but a political declaration. "That was a political discussion and a political decision, formulated in those conclusions."
He said that Slovenia had to support the statement and show solidarity with all EU members. By recalling the ambassador, Slovenia took a less radical diplomatic step. The same measure has also been adopted by Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia, he noted.
Janez Janša, the head of the opposition Democrats (SDS) on the other hand said Slovenia's move caused the country to fall out of favour with both the west and Russia.
Cerar, as well as Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, rejected this. Erjavec said that the same measure was also taken by Brussels. Slovenia acted so as to protect its own interests, as well as those of the EU and NATO, he added.
The recall of the ambassador was also supported by jurist Ernest Petrič, an advisor to President Borut Pahor. It sent the message that Slovenia does not support such actions and showed solidarity with an ally, he told the committee.
"Doing nothing would have been a big mistake. That would have pushed us to the sidelines," Petrič told the committee.
The at times heated debate ended without any conclusions beyond the customary statement that the committee had taken note of the government's position on the expulsion of Russian diplomats.
