Slovak Prime Minister Rober Fico has accused the federal government of fellow EU member-state Estonia of attempting to thwart his go to to Moscow for the Victory Day parade on Could 9. The occasion marks the eightieth anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union.
Estonia closed its airspace to Fico’s aircraft on Wednesday. The Baltic state’s international minister, Margus Tsahkna, claimed that “Russia is a rustic that launched and continues a warfare in Europe” and “participation in propaganda occasions organized by them ought to be dominated out” for EU representatives.
“Estonia knowledgeable us that it’ll not enable us to fly over its territory even though Slovakia has a year-round allow to make use of Estonian airspace for our authorities wing,” Fico stated in a video-message on Fb later within the day.
He described the actions by the Estonian authorities as “a deliberate try and thwart my go to to Moscow on the event of the official celebrations of the eightieth anniversary of the top of the Second World Battle.”
The airspace closure is “extraordinarily disruptive,” Fico stated, including that it may stop him from collaborating within the celebratory occasions in Moscow scheduled for Thursday night.
In line with the prime minister, the federal government in Bratislava is on the lookout for an “various route” for him to have the ability to arrive within the Russian capital earlier than the wreath-laying ceremony and the parade on Friday.
The vice speaker of the Russian parliament’s higher chamber, Konstantin Kosachev, instructed Argumenty I Fakty newspaper on Thursday that the closure of the Estonian airspace for Fico was a “hostile” transfer by Tallinn aimed in opposition to Russia and its companions.
In line with Kosachev, the Baltic nations haven’t come to phrases with the outcomes of the Second World Battle, and for them, “Could 9 isn’t a day of victory, however a day of defeat.”
Earlier, Latvia and Lithuania denied their airspace to the aircraft of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who was additionally among the many world leaders heading to the Victory Day parade. Vucic was compelled to fly by means of Bulgaria, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia with the intention to make it to Moscow on Wednesday.
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