PRAGUE (Reuters) – Lawmakers in Slovakia narrowly approved a defense treaty with the United States on Wednesday, making it the last NATO member on the alliance’s eastern frontier to enact such a pact, despite rowdy opposition in parliament fueled by the Ukraine crisis.
The treaty allows U.S. forces to use two airports in Slovakia, which shares a short mountainous border with Ukraine. Western countries accuse Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow denies.
Other NATO countries in Eastern Europe have strongly backed a U.S. decision to beef up forces in the region during the standoff with Moscow. But the issue is more contentious in Slovakia, where a poll last month showed more people blame NATO than Russia for the Ukraine crisis.
The Slovak government said the defense cooperation treaty was in line with treaties signed by 23 other NATO peers, including all those on the alliance’s eastern border. It still needs the president’s signature.
“The agreement is giving us an opportunity to modernize, together with the United States, our defense infrastructure,” Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said before the vote.
“Our allies are guaranteeing our sovereignty. That’s exactly what alliances are about.”
Seventy-nine lawmakers supported the agreement, just clearing the 76 votes required in the 150-seat parliament.
At one point, pro-government lawmakers held up a Ukrainian flag below a Slovak flag. An opposition lawmaker tore it down and ripped the face mask off the man holding it.
It allows the U.S. military to use facilities at two Slovak airports at Sliac and Malacky for the next 10 years, including storage of equipment. Troop deployments would still be subject to parliamentary approval.
Slovakia also qualifies for $100 million in U.S. funds.
The parliamentary vote followed a stormy debate, often disrupted by opposition lawmakers whistling or blocking the speaker’s space with a Slovak flag.
Opposition leader Robert Fico, whose party was in government when the treaty was first negotiated, called the agreement “treacherous, dirty, bad”, and said that those supporting it want Slovakia to be a United States “province”.
An opinion poll showed in January that 44.1% of Slovaks believed NATO and the United States were responsible for the tension between Russia and Ukraine, while 34.7% blamed Russia.
(Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Peter Graff)
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