From historical memory to Russia policy, Bratislava underestimated the forces shaping Berlin’s response to Fico’s Moscow turn.
The author is a former ambassador and former chairman of the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ).
The cancellation of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s announced visit to Bratislava is undoubtedly one of the greatest foreign policy defeats of Robert Fico’s fourth government.
The prime minister attempted to play down the political significance of the German government spokesperson’s announcement, saying: “I acknowledge that his schedule has changed, so we will meet another time.” If necessary, he added, he could meet Merz at the European Council.
However, the political context of this event is much broader. Although the state of Slovak-German relations genuinely does not currently permit an official visit by the German chancellor, there had been a chance that, after twelve years, he might at least make a short working visit as part of a private programme.
