Ivan Korčok is an experienced political veteran who has worked in this field for thirty-three years. His primary area of expertise is diplomacy – he has served as an ambassador in several countries (including the United States) and held the post of foreign minister. After losing the presidential election, he joined the Progressive Slovakia movement and is already laying the groundwork for the next parliamentary elections.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has delivered his first State of the Nation address. The applause came mainly from the opposition benches. What would you have applauded in the speech of your final opponent in the presidential race?
I believe that even the president now sees that what the current government is doing in foreign policy is harming Slovakia’s interests and, above all, the interests of its people. However, I think he could do more in his position to repair relations with our neighbors. During his first year in office, he has not visited Kyiv; and we should not forget that when citizens across Slovakia protested in the thousands for a European Slovakia, the president sided with the government and supported Robert Fico’s rhetoric about a coup.
After many years in diplomacy – where you achieved everything a diplomat can achieve – and an independent presidential candidacy last year, you decided to enter party politics. Why did you choose Progressive Slovakia when you were foreign minister for Freedom and Solidarity in the past? Did the leverage of what is now the strongest party in Slovakia play a key role? And what is your role in Progressive Slovakia?
Even after the election, I continued to travel around Slovakia and meet with people. From those conversations, I sensed apathy and lost hope, as if people were resigned to the idea that decline is our destiny. I refuse to accept that. That is why I decided to stay active in Slovak politics and help ensure that, after the next parliamentary elections, a government is formed that will tackle the country’s most urgent problem – its decline and lagging behind. My decision is also linked to the response I received from citizens during my presidential campaign. I still feel their support today, I appreciate it, and I want to honor it through my political work. I accepted an invitation from the chairman of Progressive Slovakia, Michal Šimečka, to become part of a movement that shares the same core values I stand for – defending those values is more important than ever today. In addition to our shared values, we have a common goal: a modern European country that people will return to, not flee from. I joined a movement that gives space to a broad spectrum of views – from liberal to centrist to conservative. I see this as an opportunity to prove that diverse perspectives can produce a strong program that earns public support. In PS, I focus on policy development and the party’s strategic direction ahead of the parliamentary elections. An essential part of this is my personal and intensive contact with citizens throughout Slovakia. I will also be in charge of foreign policy, where I am actively engaged in shadow diplomacy. I am doing everything I can to explain to our partners that Slovakia is not Robert Fico and that there is a pro-European alternative in Slovakia.
Let’s return to your core field – diplomacy. What do you think motivated Robert Fico to travel to Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations? Do you have any explanation for why the prime minister did it and what he hoped to gain?
I think with Robert Fico, this is genuine – he truly feels more at home in Moscow than in Prague, Warsaw, or Berlin. I also see a very dangerous phenomenon here: foreign policy has become a tool for domestic political battles. Robert Fico is trying to appeal to voters who are attracted to such stances, and in doing so, he is gambling with Slovakia’s international reputation. Today, the Slovak prime minister – along with Viktor Orbán – is isolated on the fringes of the EU. That is why he tries to project an image of a respected leader by meeting with the Russian and Belarusian presidents.
Representatives of Fico’s government, right after the “obligatory” first visit to Prague, travel to Budapest and praise the exceptionally good talks. What connects Bratislava and Budapest today? From the perspective of Slovakia’s current policy, isn’t this a return to the pre-1918 orientation?
I completely understand Viktor Orbán in this regard. In Robert Fico and the Slovak government, he has found allies and can now claim he is not alone in his views. However, I don’t understand the Slovak prime minister allowing himself to become entirely subordinate to Budapest. In the interest of creating the illusion of excellent relations between Bratislava and Budapest, bilateral issues – which undeniably exist – are being ignored. This is dangerous, and as is typical with unresolved problems, they will catch up with us in the future.
How should countries like Slovakia and the Czech Republic approach the administration of US President Donald Trump, which sometimes acts openly hostile toward the European Union? Where is the red line when the US stops being an ally and becomes an adversary?
That’s a very good question. The best answer is a strong and capable EU that is a respected player on the global stage. Every member state should keep that in mind. I don’t think it’s about drawing red lines or treating the US as an adversary. The United States is our partner, and it is in Slovakia’s and Europe’s interest to cooperate. I even believe it is in America’s own interest. After all, we are NATO allies. The problem comes when the US stops seeing us as partners – which we already see happening in trade. Here it is crucial that we jointly demonstrate the strength of the world’s largest economy. At the same time, we must also look for new partnerships at both the economic and political levels.
Can you imagine good relations with Prague if the current roles were reversed and Andrej Babiš governed in Prague while Michal Šimečka or you governed in Bratislava?
It is our duty to cooperate with any government in the Czech Republic; the decision about who will be Czech prime minister rests fully with Czech citizens. From our side, I can say that people in Slovakia are tired of conflicts with the Czech government. Restoring mutual relations will be one of the highest foreign policy priorities of our future government.
The author is a European editor of Deník
CV BOX
Ivan Korčok (born April 4, 1964, in Banská Bystrica) is a former Slovak foreign minister. From 2018 to 2020, he also served as ambassador to the United States.
He graduated from the University of Economics and later completed postgraduate studies at the Institute of International Relations at Comenius University in Bratislava.
In 1992, he started working at what was then the Ministry of International Relations of the Slovak Republic and, in addition to domestic roles, also served abroad. From 2005 to 2009, he was ambassador to Germany and subsequently, until 2015, Slovakia’s permanent representative to the European Union. He then served as the government’s envoy for the Slovak Presidency of the EU Council and later as state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In August 2018, he was appointed ambassador to the United States, a post he held until 2020. He then served as foreign minister until 2022.
In 2024, he ran as an independent in the presidential election, in which he lost to Peter Pellegrini. He subsequently became a member of the Progressive Slovakia movement.
He is married; with his wife Soňa they have two sons, Viktor and Marek.
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