Lajcak: Expelling diplomat is 'strike with fist'

Slovakia has shown solidarity with the United Kingdom in connection with the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, and when it comes to an appropriate response to this act the country is behaving responsibly, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said in an interview with Hospodarske Noviny daily. Lajcak said it would be unfortunate if the international community's response was reduced only to the number of expelled Russian diplomats by particular countries. "This isn't a race. We're being responsible and deliberate. No one can say that we aren't showing solidarity, and no one can say we aren't taking action," the minister told HN. As the first step, Slovakia summoned the Russian ambassador to Slovakia, and subsequently the government agreed with Lajcak's recommendation to recall Slovakia's ambassador to Moscow for consultation. "Expelling a diplomat is a strike with a fist and calling an ambassador is a lifted finger," Lajcak said.