Tibor Gašpar, former Slovak police president and member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, celebrated his sixty-second birthday this April and he feels optimistic about the future. The most important thing in his opinion is to stop the fighting in Ukraine and start negotiating.
What was your birthday wish? Is there a dream that you'd still like to make come true?
At my age, it's primarily good health and living life to the fullest. I no longer have big dreams, but I would be happy to see my family stick together and support and help each other. Maintaining good interpersonal relationships despite different opinions or values that we might hold is important to me.
You are a part of PM Robert Fico's new government. Have you taken any of the major steps that were promised before the election?
Firstly, we implemented various economic measures, such as the ones to help stabilize energy prices; measures to ensure that mortgage payments can be made on time, primarily by young and socially-dependent families; social support for our elderly; measures to deal with illegal migration, to restore the rule of law; and others.
Polish PM Donald Tusk recently stated that Europe is in a “pre-war era”. Are you afraid of war?
Yes, I am afraid of a potential war in Europe. That's one of the reasons why I went into politics; I want to do everything in my power in the public sphere to prevent war. There are numerous agitators in today's European politics who either see the war as a way to drive more arms business or just Russophobic aversion.
How do you feel about the war in Ukraine and the way it has been influenced by other countries?
The conflict in Ukraine affects our lives in different ways. It has a massive economic impact on our actual quality of life. Were it to escalate, we could be dragged into a real war, which is why I welcome any kind of initiative calling for peace. Sadly, the highest-ranking EU representatives as well as those of individual member states keep supporting the military conflict by supplying more arms and are even discussing the possibility of involving NATO by going as far as to provide aid in the form of personnel, meaning the deployment of soldiers. I'd like to remain optimistic in the sense that we will not resort to the use of nuclear weapons. The only way to prevent further killing and other senseless loss of human lives is to stop fighting and initiate peace negotiations.
It sounds simple, but is keeping peace in Europe really an option? Meaning within Ukraine's territory as well?
It's very simple in my view. EU and NATO member states should initiate peace negotiations and their first demand should be that fighting stops immediately. Security guarantees must be discussed, not just for Ukraine and other European countries but also for Russia. This includes the issue of Ukraine's accession to the EU, or rather the formation of a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine, as well as other security matters, such as what to do next with nuclear weapons.
Slovakia is Ukraine's neighbor; are you worried for your country's security?
This question must be interpreted on two levels – Slovakia's internal and international security. They are two faces of the same coin. Slovakia is the neighbor of Ukraine, a country at war. That has a direct influence on our internal security. We are still dealing with the matter of illegal migration, which also has an impact on Slovakia's internal security, as well as the threat of potential terrorist attacks. As a member of the Slovak National Council and chairman of the NC Defense and Security Committee, I take great interest in the government's actions to mitigate these risks and the measures it implements to maintain Slovakia's security.
In our previous interview, we also touched on you being prosecuted as part of the Purgatory case. Has the investigation moved forward?
The Purgatory case still hasn't moved to trial and as far as I know, the bias of judges meant to preside over the trial is being looked into. In the meantime, the court has received more evidence from the Bureau of the Inspection Service and the Slovak Intelligence Service pointing towards suspicions of the criminal proceedings being manipulated. The investigator is trying very hard to shut down the second case without even properly hearing my statement on the charges and allowing me to exercise various other rights I have as the defendant. The investigator belongs to the notorious Čurilla band, and we have already filed charges against him for these actions.
You have a new president Peter Pellegrini. Are you happy that he prevailed over Ivan Korčok in the election?
I am happy that Peter Pellegrini was elected the Slovak president. Given my values, which I have been open about publicly as well, I also voted for Peter Pellegrini. As the Slovak president, I expect that he will support the Slovak government as long as it adheres to its policy statement, which he helped shape himself as the chairman of the HLAS party, which is now part of the coalition. I also expect that he will stand up for peace and defend the interests of all the citizens of Slovakia, not just select groups as was the case with his predecessor in office, Madam President Čaputová.
The Czech government just recently canceled the regular exceptional meeting with PM Robert Fico's government. Could it have some sort of an impact on relations between common Czechs and Slovaks?
I have family in the Czech Republic, and I consider our good mutual relations to be a part of our shared history. And these historic ties between our nations cannot be severed just like that due to something that a group of politicians decides to say at one time or another. Intertwined family relationships, deep trade and work relations, the exchange of students, and other manifestations of our cooperation are clear proof of that.
I hear your son has a tattoo of your face on his arm, is that true?
Yes, my son Pavol has had his forearm tattooed with my portrait but also that of his mother, wife, and his two daughters. I feel that the rendering of our faces is high-quality work. But the more important thing is the expression of his relationship with his family and our upbringing. He hadn't discussed his decision about having these tattoos done with us, he just showed us the finished work. I believe that I have spent sufficient time raising him to ensure that he is a good person.
Tibor Gašpar with one of his granddaughters.
SPORTS AND GRANDCHILDREN
Tibor Gašpar has done sports nearly his entire life and that still remains the case today. “I go to the gym at six in the morning two to three times a week. I have a mountain bike and I like to ride in the vicinity of Nitra. If time allows, I go skiing in the winter. I also like to relax while working in the garden. But I get the most joy out of spending time with our granddaughters. I raised my two sons, now I have the opportunity to watch two cute ladies, who are an important part of our lives, grow up.”
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