Experts Shed Light On Crime Against Slovak Premier With Controversial Views

(MENAFN- AzerNews)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

• Assassination attempt on Slovak Premier Robert Fico andthe suspect behind the crime
• 71 year-old-man charged Thursday with attempting toassassinate Prime Minister
• Experts have different views on the crime scene thatremain obscure

A few days ago, a sudden assassination attempt against PrimeMinister Robert Fico in Handlova, Slovakia caused serious concerns the reasons for the attempt are mysterious to many, someparties interpret it differently.

We had to refer to the opinions of experts on the matter Dr. Irfan Kaya ÜLGER from Turkiye's Kocaeli Universitytouched upon interesting points in his statement to Azernews .

First, the professor clarified the comments regarding the factthat the names of Western forces were mentioned in theassassination attempt against the country's premier. He consideredsuch comments unfounded and noted that the suicide was morepersonal.

“I am of the opinion that political rivalry or personal affairsplayed a role in the assassination attempt on PM Robert Fico,” theTurkish Professor said.

Irfan Kaya explained the issue more broadly and tried to refinethe internal processes. He made a subtle comparison by reviewingthe political views of the Slovak Prime Minister.

“The attack on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico attractedthe attention of the whole world to this country. It is a knownfact that Prime Minister Fico often criticizes the West for theUkraine war. In one of his speeches, he said, "I will not send evena single bullet to Ukraine." It is known to everyone that Fico isdistant from the economic sanctions announced after the start ofthe Ukrainian war. His closest friend within the EU is HungarianPresident Victor Orban. Because of all this, it does not seemrational to me to say that Prime Minister Fico was assassinated forpolitical reasons and to imply that the West was behind thisattack. I am of the opinion that political rivals or personalanimosity may have played a role,” the professor said.

Nevertheless, another expert, British political journalist NeilWatson approached the issue completely differently. He was quitecertain about the West having a hand in this crime. He said thatthe murderer shot the Prime Minister several times based on aspecial assignment and that this case seems more to be related todifferent parties.

“As with all attempted or realised political assassinations, thesuspect is purely a puppet who has been coerced into action byexternal forces. Although he may or may not have fired the bullets,there are many western powers who would like to see an end to Ficoand to make an example of him, particularly aimed at seeminglypro-Russian politicians in former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pactcountries,” he underlined.

Doubts about the contribution of the Armenian lobby to theassassination

In a high percentage of terrorist incidents in Europe, theArmenian lobby and the Dashnaks were specially mediated. The factthat the Eastern European countries are keeping pace withAzerbaijan's both domestic and foreign policies and showing aninclination towards Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus undoubtedlyworries the pro-Western Armenian lobby.

However, the matching opinions of the experts about the Armenianlobby standing behind the issue did not confirm the matter relatedto any conspiracy. Both Turkish and British experts said thatArmenian lobby organizations had no role in the crime.

Neil Watson said that Armenians currently look at Europeancountries as the beacon of hope, so it seems unrealistic for themto engage in such crimes.

“ASALA committed many outrageous terrorist acts in the 1970s and80s. But I do not to feel that this is the case now. Armenia isattempting to court the west as its saviour, now that Russiansupport has ended. It would be very foolish for Armenia to organiseany assassination attempt on a politician, as it would demonstrateits aggression,” the expert said.

Further to the experts' views, the British journalist touched onRobert Fico's political stance in backdrop of the serious contrastbetween the West and Russia. He said that the Slovak Prime Ministeralways tried not to harm the relations with Russia by the dictatesof the West.

“Certainly, it is widely regarded that a lack of unity in the EUand NATO is making the possibility of a Russian semi-victory in thewar with Ukraine. In addition, Fico has initiated moves to closethe Slovak state broadcaster and commented against the forthcomingWHO laws related to possible future pandemics. In my view, he is apragmatic politician, whose early life was shaped by Sovietinfluence, and realises that it is better to have acceptablebilateral relations with Russia and maintain the independence ofhis country rather than being vehemently anti-Russian which couldlead to a forcible Russian annexation if they achieve some successin Ukraine. I am sure that the truth will always be clouded, but Iam certain his alleged assassin was, in some way, motivated byexternal Western secret service agents,” he added.

As for Professor Ülger's additional thoughts on theassassination attempt, he related it to his political rivals whodid not like him internally. He denied arguments linking the crimeto Fico not being anti-Russian at the behest of the West.

“The possibility that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico mayface assassination as a reflection of the political rivalry withinthe country seems to be a serious alternative. Based on thisperspective, forces that want to reconstruct Slovakia's domesticpolitics may have played a role behind the scenes. But on the otherhand, the possibility of personal hostility being the main factorin the attack constitutes another serious possibility. I think thepossibility of an attack being carried out just because he ispro-Russian is low. Factors such as a personal grudge or jealousyare stronger motivations. There are other countries within NATOthat criticize the US policy in Ukraine. For example, Victor Orbanis also criticized for not fully participating in the sanctions, I see the strongest options behind the assassination aspersonal hostility and acting with the aim of reorganizingSlovakian politics,” he concluded.

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