An Uncertain Divide: A Once-United Country Now Mired in a Bitter Feud

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (left) pictured with the Czech flag, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (right) pictured with the Slovak flag. Source: Author.

Last month, Belgium became a focal point for two nations once united under a shared objective and history, who are now barely on speaking terms after a “red-line” has seemingly been drawn, hindering any future cooperation. Descending upon Brussels, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala met with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, following a series of intense accusations from Bratislava, igniting a bitter animus between the former cultural compatriots. The Slovaks were swift and indignant, accusing Czech politicians and media of meddling in Slovakia’s internal affairs in order to discredit Slovak-born Andrej Babiš, the opposition leader of the Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) party. Babiš is a candidate likely to succeed Fiala in the upcoming October elections for the premiership. Fico made this criticism public only weeks prior during a consultation with Czech Ambassador Rudolf Jindrák, stating, “Mr. Ambassador… it is not right when any positions, views, or recommendations come from the other side of Moravia regarding the Slovak internal political situation.” At the center of these criticisms lay the claim that Slovak political representation is being misconstrued, largely in the form of portraying Fico as a far-right puppet for Moscow and Babiś as a willing supporter of expanding the Kremlin-friendly bloc in Eastern Europe. 

These comments fueled retaliation from Prague in the form of a dramatic statement by Fiala on Facebook, dismissing his counterpart’s accusations as “totally unreasonable and wrong.” He continued by stating, “Robert Fico in Brussels must have heard very well what I was saying to him. I went up to him and told him not to attack the Czech media and political scene. He reacted to that and he must remember it.” Foreign minister Jan Lipavský similarly rejected Fico’s accusations, clarifying that it was well within the rights of Czech politicians to express their concerns about the foreign policy of neighboring nations. This response was later bolstered by Fiala on local news channel ČT24: “If someone criticizes Brussels more often than Moscow, I am certainly right to say that this is not in our interest, this is not the right policy.” The message was clear: the Czechs were burning a bridge with what they perceived as the Moscow-boosting Slovaks. 

On the international stage, the interaction between Bratislava and Prague reflects a mere squabble, but underneath, the sense of a real national drift has been difficult to ignore. It begs the question, how did these two nations, once diplomatically stable partners, end up barely on speaking terms? The answer is simple: as Fico slowly molds his administration’s focus to the East, mutual relations have continued to deteriorate, but it hasn’t always been this way. 

Czechia and Slovakia have the oldest type of partnership, a marriage of shared cultural aspects and language. Both countries were part of the conglomerate of states that made up the Austro-Hungarian Empire until its dissolution in 1918. From then on, the nations formed into Czechoslovakia, which remained as an independent state during the occupation of the German Reich in 1938, and the Soviet Union in 1945. Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, the country committed to a self-determined, peaceful secession known as the Velvet Divorce, which effectively split Czechoslovakia into both the Czech and Slovak Republic. Consultations continued under the Visegrád Group alliance which focused on cooperation in military, economic, and cultural affairs, leading to both countries re-building themselves into suitable candidates for joining the European Union (EU) in 2004. The most noticeable part of these diplomatic relations are the intergovernmental meetings that occurred in 2012, in which both countries meet to share updates and briefings on certain policy initiatives. These meetings serve as a much larger public relations stunt though: an aim to showcase the warm relations between two neighboring countries ever since their split. 

Such intergovernmental meetings have come to an end as of last year, a sign that initially signaled the beginning of deteriorating relations between the two countries. So irked was Prague by the return of Fico to power for a fourth term, that last March, Fiala stated to journalists, “We don’t think it’s appropriate to hold consultations with the government of Slovakia in the next weeks or months” The main reason being over one significant policy issue: Slovakia’s stance on Ukraine. 

Czechia is a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia, having become the third largest member state in the EU to accept refugees. It has similarly fronted initiatives that procure funding for additional resources to Kyiv, such as ammunition. This is in contrast with Slovakia, where Fico’s fourth term has led to a distancing from any support for Ukraine. In December last year, he held one-on-one talks with Vladimir Putin in a bid to secure continued access to cheap gas. Fico additionally, to the shock of his Western neighbors, jabbed at Ukraine with comments such as, “there is no war in Kyiv.” The democracies of Central and Eastern Europe remain largely fluid, given how relatively new they are, and it is possible that Slovakia and Czechia will rarely remain at odds for long. This recent disagreement, however, is more than just a policy issue. It demonstrates a fear shared by Fiala that with Babiš on track to win the country’s fall ballot, Czechia could soon be joining Slovakia on its eastward trajectory. Therefore, adding another country to the pro-Kremlin bloc with ominous implications for European unity.