Lawmakers in Slovakia narrowly authorized a defence treaty with the USA on Wednesday, making it the final NATO member at the alliance’s japanese frontier to enact this kind of pact, in spite of rowdy opposition in parliament fuelled by way of the Ukraine disaster.
The treaty lets in US forces to make use of two airports in Slovakia, which stocks a brief mountainous border with Ukraine.
Western international locations accuse Russia of making plans an invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow denies.
Different NATO international locations in Jap Europe have strongly subsidized a US determination to give a boost to forces within the area throughout the standoff with Moscow. However the problem is extra contentious in Slovakia, the place a ballot final month confirmed extra other people blame NATO than Russia for the Ukraine disaster.
The Slovak authorities stated the defence cooperation treaty was once in step with treaties signed by way of 23 different NATO friends, together with all the ones at the alliance’s japanese border. It nonetheless wishes the president’s signature.
“The settlement is giving us a chance to modernise, along with the USA, our defence infrastructure,” Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad stated sooner than the vote. “Our allies are ensuring our sovereignty. That’s precisely what alliances are about.”
Seventy-nine lawmakers supported the settlement, simply clearing the 76 votes required within the 150-seat parliament.
At one level, pro-government lawmakers held up a Ukrainian flag under a Slovak flag. An opposition lawmaker tore it down and ripped the face masks off the person retaining it.
It lets in the United States army to make use of amenities at two Slovak airports at Sliac and Malacky for the following 10 years, together with garage of kit. Troop deployments would nonetheless be topic to parliamentary approval.
Slovakia additionally qualifies for $100 million in US budget.
The parliamentary vote adopted a stormy debate, frequently disrupted by way of opposition lawmakers whistling or blockading the speaker’s house with a Slovak flag.
Opposition chief Robert Fico, whose celebration was once in authorities when the treaty was once first negotiated, referred to as the settlement “treacherous, grimy, dangerous”, and stated that the ones supporting it need Slovakia to be a United States “province”.
An opinion ballot confirmed in January that 44.1% of Slovaks believed NATO and the USA have been chargeable for the stress between Russia and Ukraine, whilst 34.7% blamed Russia.