In one of our previous interviews, Milan Kňažko said he follows politics only from a distance. However, as someone who spent many years in top political positions, that “distance” is in fact very close. He watches political developments carefully and is not afraid to speak his mind openly.
We have just witnessed the first renewed joint meeting of the Czech and Slovak governments after more than three years. How did you perceive it? Is it something one can welcome, regardless of political views?
The meeting was conducted on the principle that we would focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. We have had that kind of relationship with Hungary for about twenty years. So there is a degree of hypocrisy in these joint government meetings. Hungary under Viktor Orbán and Slovakia under Robert Fico have taken a different path from the rest of the European Union – that needs to be said. And Orbán’s Hungary even more so than Slovakia. At a certain point, the Czech government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala quite rightly concluded that in such a situation – when Fico’s MPs frequently travel to Moscow – this represents a security risk. So they decided at the time that such meetings made little sense. That does not mean our bilateral relations deteriorated. Governments change – fortunately, that is one of the achievements of 1989, something we wanted. After the change of government in Czechia, the governments of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Prime Minister Robert Fico met again formally. But there is no real alignment between Prague and Bratislava when it comes to their connection to the European Union. Bratislava is closer to Hungary in this respect. I do not think Babiš will follow that path. There are, however, shared economic interests – for example, the possibility of reverse energy supplies from Czechia to Slovakia, which is functioning.
Some Czech participants at the meeting were surprised that Prime Minister Robert Fico briefly raised the issue of the Beneš decrees as applied in Slovakia. Many reacted with disbelief. Are the Beneš decrees really still a topic in 2026?
After the split, we adopted all the commitments and documents of Czechoslovakia, including the Beneš decrees. There is no doubt about that. So in Slovakia, they are the same as in Czechia. They exist, they have not been repealed, but they are not enforced.
I understand that, but what has happened in Slovakia that led to the adoption of a law threatening imprisonment for publicly questioning them?
Like many other issues, the problem of the Beneš decrees is about people. There have been recent cases where property was confiscated using the decrees, and this happened under the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico. However, such matters should be handled by lawyers. Turning it into a political issue shows the incompetence of the current Slovak opposition. It is a distraction. Slovakia has far bigger problems – the entire country is at risk, the media are under threat, NGOs are under pressure, and the country is drifting away from the European Union toward Russia, which I will say plainly is a betrayal of national interests.
But it is the government and the prime minister who determine foreign policy…
Fico does not have a mandate for that. A document defining the fundamental direction of the Slovak Republic was adopted at the beginning of the 1990s on the basis of broad social consensus and agreement among all political forces. Fico has no mandate to change something like that. The opposition should have called for early elections long ago. To put it metaphorically, the house is on fire and the opposition is debating whether to replace a faucet. They should be putting out the fire.
But it was the government that introduced the law criminalizing the questioning of the Beneš decrees. Is that not important?
That is political folklore typical of Robert Fico, in which the communist in him still lives on. Today he stands somewhere between conservatives and fascists. He wants to govern with the Republika party, which consists of fascists. Fico is a political opportunist – anything that keeps him in power is acceptable to him.
Looking at the current state of Slovakia, should it serve as a warning to Czechs about which direction not to take?
Absolutely. Just as Orbán’s Hungary should have been a warning for Slovaks. An open society is not for communists and dictators. However, I am convinced that the next elections will change this in Slovakia as well.
Is the political and social decline under the current government also reflected in the performance of the Slovak economy?
Without question. The data show it, economists confirm it, and companies closing their operations in Slovakia are saying the same. We have high inflation, we are constantly “consolidating” public finances, yet after every wave of consolidation, the situation only gets worse and worse. It is a government of incompetence and corruption. My concern is that people are beginning to get used to it. And we must not get used to this – that is a fundamental mistake. By doing so, we legitimize a ruling group that can effectively do whatever it wants. The cultural community is doing what it can. But how long will there be enough determined and capable people who still believe things can change for the better in the foreseeable future?
Many young and educated people are leaving Slovakia, often for Czechia. Is this creating a problem because these people are missing at home? And does it influence election outcomes?
They are not only in Czechia, but across Europe. We are a country from which more people are leaving than from any other EU member state. Over the years, this amounts to hundreds of thousands. It is a sad record. Slovakia is not large enough to afford such a loss. The loss of people is the greatest loss a country can face.
Where do you see hope for change?
In elections. In the hope that the opposition will come to its senses and realize what truly matters. And also that they must unite – they cannot say they will govern with one group but not with another. If they do not all come together, it simply will not work.
What kind of program should such a united anti-Fico opposition have?
I think three points are enough. First, orientation toward Western Europe. Second, justice – for everyone. And third, targeted support for those who are genuinely the most vulnerable. That is enough. There is no need to focus on issues like LGBT rights, the Vatican treaty, the Beneš decrees, or “man and woman in the Constitution.” Those can be addressed when the time is right. Now is not that time.
The author is a European editor of Deník
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Milan Kňažko (born on August 28, 1945, in Horné Plachtince) is a Slovak actor and politician.
He studied acting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. For two years, he was a member of the drama ensemble of the Theatre Studio, from 1971 to 1985 a member of the New Stage, and for another four years he joined the drama ensemble of the Slovak National Theatre.
He briefly served as Dean of the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts, in 2002 became President of the Bratislava International Film Festival, and from 2003 to 2007 was the General Director of TV JOJ. In 2016, he was named Actor of the Year, receiving the Thalia Award for his role as Shylock at Prague’s Na Jezerce Theatre. In October 2024, he received the Thalia Award for best foreign artist.
He was a member of the Federal Assembly and from 1992 to 2002, a member of the Slovak National Council, now the National Council of the Slovak Republic. In the 1990s, he was, among other things, Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Minister of Culture of Slovakia. In 2013, he ran in the presidential election.
He lives in Bratislava, has been married three times, and has three children.
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