While experts debate the scope and aim of Chinese media offensive in Slovakia, surveys show that it is already having an effect on public opinion. For years, Slovakia was fertile ground for public debates, disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories believed to be linked to Russia’s propaganda machine.

The People’s Democratic Party has launched what it calls a march for ‘justice and democracy’ in response to President Erdogan’s growing crackdown on his critics.

Plans to convert the famous 6th-century building in Istanbul back into a mosque, after being a museum since 1935, have further tested relations with Greece – already damaged by over other regional and international disputes.