Good evening. This Thursday, March 17 edition of Today in Slovakia provides the main news of the day for you in less than five minutes.
First visit by a US Defense Secretary since Slovakia joined NATO
U.S. Secretary for Defense Lloyd J. Austin and Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď, right, shake hands during a ceremony in Bratislava, Slovakia, Thursday, March 17, 2022. This is the first visit by a US defense secretary to Slovakia since the country joined NATO in 2004. (Source: TASR)With Ukrainian refugees continuing to stream into Slovakia and Russian troops continuing their invasion of Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Slovakia today.
"We take our commitments towards our NATO allies very seriously," Lloyd Austin told the press conference. He thanked Slovakia for its humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees from Ukraine. Later in the evening he is scheduled to meet President Zuzana Čaputová and Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO).
Both Austin and Naď confirmed that discussion was ongoing about the possibility of offering Slovakia's S-300 air defence system to Ukraine.
Minister Naď emphasised that nothing has been agreed yet and it would be possible only once Slovakia has a replacement for it. Naď said earlier that German troops would soon arrive in Slovakia with a US-made Patriot air defence system.
Another topic of the meeting between Austin and Naď was the security of Slovak airspace. Slovakia is currently awaiting the arrival of new F-16 fighters, but it was announced last week that their delivery will be delayed.
"We have discussed quite intensively how we will seek common ground and also take joint action to help our friends in Ukraine. We coordinate action within NATO and also bilaterally with the United States to strengthen Ukraine's defence. Ukraine deserves it," said Naď.
More on NATO troops in Slovakia
Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď and Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin met in Bratislava (Source: TASR)- Slovenia decided to offer 200 troops to Slovakia as part of NATO's enhanced forward presence, Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin announced during his visit to Slovakia. Originally, 100 troops from Slovenia should have arrived but Tonin explained that his country now plans to send one whole company.
- The Senate of the Czech Parliament approved sending up to 650 soldiers to Slovakia. They will join the NATO contingent deployed in Slovakia to bolster NATO's eastern flank in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The unit will be commanded by the Czech Army. The Czech government approved the dispatch a week ago; the lower chamber is expected to okay it next week.
Refugees from Ukraine
- Children arriving from Ukraine who want to stay in Slovakia should have all compulsory vaccinations, said Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský. Chief paediatrician at the ministry Elena Prokopová said that to attend a doctor in Slovakia, it will be necessary to show written confirmation of vaccination status of children, or electronically, showing a photo. Pediatricians will, in case of need, vaccinate children who lack jabs.
- A one-off allowance for people who have been provided asylum in Slovakia is to be increased from 1.5 times to three times the subsistence level per adult. Foreigners granted subsidiary protection should also receive an allowance of the same amount. MPs approved the amendment to the asylum law on Thursday.
- A Slovak-language course for Ukrainians will open in Bratislava on March 23 at 10:00 in the Old Town Library, Blumentálska 10/A. The course, designed for young people and adults, will take place twice a week: on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 and Fridays from 9:00 to 10:30. The teachers are lecturers from the Faculty of Education of Comenius University, Department of Slovak Language and Literature. The lessons are free of charge. There is no requirement to register.
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Photo of the day
A convoy transporting a Patriot air defense missile system leaves the German army's Air Defense Missile Group 26 base in Husum, in northern Germany. From here, the Bundeswehr began transferring the Patriot air defense missile system to Slovakia.
Feature story for today
The textile industry is one of the most environmentally-damaging of all, and is contributing significantly to climate change, according to fashion designers, environmental campaigners, and economic experts.
“By buying second-hand and upcycled garments we can help solve the problem of waste, prolong the life cycle of textile materials, and mitigate [the clothing industry’s] negative impacts on the environment,” Zuzana Bobíková, CEO of the non-governmental organisation Slovak Fashion Council, said.
Saving the planet one piece of clothing at a time Read more In other news
11,000 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 19,359 PCR tests performed on Wednesday. The number of people in hospitals is 2,406 people. 31 more deaths were reported on Wednesday. The vaccination rate is at 51.25 percent, and 2,818,682 people have received the first dose of a vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.
Parking cars on pavements will become legal again, and will now be allowed until the end of September 2023, after 124 MPs approved an amendment to the law. Parking on pavements had been banned as of the end of February 2022. Coalition MPs argued that it caused a "parking collapse", as municipalities had no time to adjust.
- The National Highway Company (NDS) signed a contract for construction of part of the R2 Košice Šaca – Košické Oľšany expressway with the Eurovia SK and Eurovia CS group. The contractor now has a 30-day period during which it will take over the construction site and can start work. The section will be 14.3 kilometres long; its construction will take approximately three years and cost €132.6 million without value-added tax.
- The Specialised Criminal Court sentenced former police investigator Marián Kučerka to 11 years in prison for taking bribes and a particularly serious crime of accepting a bribe in complicity. He and his attorneys did not show up for the verdict.
- The Judicial Council has elected Beatrix Ricziová as a candidate for additional judge of the EU General Court. Her candidacy has yet to be approved by the government. She will then be able to appear before the EU Council Advisory Committee.
- Slovakia's decision to expel three Russian diplomats will lead to a degradation in bilateral relations between the two countries, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a briefing on Thursday. "Apparently, Bratislava is trying with the same obsession to keep up with other Western countries that are hostile to us, and so it has committed itself to launching an anti-Russian campaign, apparently unaware of where this might lead – and will lead – if all this does not stop," Zakharova said, calling the expulsion of the three Russian diplomats because of espionage in Slovakia an “exaggerated pretence." One of them was filmed handing wads of cash to a Slovak man who has since admitted spying for Russia.
- Private Markíza Television acquired the broadcasting rights to the comedy series Servant of the People, starring the current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The exact start date of the broadcast is not yet known. There is currently a lot of interest in the series, and several European televisions have already obtained licences.
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