Good evening. Here is theThursday, April 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Fico’s ‘schizophrenic’ foreign policy
PM Robert Fico lays a wreath at Slavín in Bratislava on April 4, 2024. (source: TASR)
While PM Robert Fico (Smer) laid a wreath at the Slavín Military Memorial on Thursday to mark 79 years since the liberation of Bratislava by the Red Army, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) commemorated the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO in Brussels.
A total of 6,845 soldiers of the Red Army are buried in Slavín. In addition to Russians, there are also many Ukrainians and soldiers of other nationalities.
The prime minister expected the ambassadors of EU member states to attend the ceremony. Only ambassadors from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, arrived. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ľuboš Blaha (Smer) called the decision made by EU ambassadors a “real shame”. Former PM Ľudovít Ódor responded, “The fact that the world is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO and the Slovak PM is standing by the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors is also a horrible shame.” He added that all the other ambassadors know very well who is the aggressor in Ukraine.
At Slavín, which Fico called “the statue of liberty”, the premier accused the West of not wanting peace in Ukraine and preventing Russia from winning the war. As Denník N writes, the Russian state television interviewed Fico near the memorial.
On the same day, Blanár stated in Brussels that Slovakia as a trustworthy NATO member will remain committed to shared values and duties stemming from its Alliance membership.
“Becoming a member of NATO, one of the strongest and most successful alliances ever, was one of the most momentous decisions in the modern history of Slovakia,” claimed Blanár, as quoted by the TASR news agency.
Related: The Slovak government’s policy threatens the security of Europe, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told CNN Prima News. If someone meets with the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and talks about peace at any price, that is not a policy for me to be silent about, he added.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
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TRAVEL STORY FOR THURSDAY
Castle in mountains has its own wailing wall
Tematín Castle. (source: Archive of Mojmír Choma)
Tematín Castle is situated between Piešťany and Nové Mesto nad Váhom and in the past had a strategic position. Since 2007 volunteers from the civic association Hrad Tematín have been trying to preserve what is left of the castle.
FREE BRATISLAVA EVENTS
Presidential Garden will reopen
Grassalkovich Garden. (source: visitbratislava.com)
One of the most popular places in the Bratislava-Old Town reopens tomorrow. But here are two more tips on how to enjoy Bratislava for free in the coming days.
In other news
Arrivals at Slovak and nearby airports have increased by 70 percent in the election week. Most Slovaks will arrive from London and Prague. Slovak travellers also adapted their vacations to the election, putting off foreign trips until after the election Saturday - the number of departures during the election week has dropped by 30 percent, said Pelicantravel.com.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) announced on Facebook that firefighters, police officers and rescuers will receive a bonus of €500 this month. The Defence Ministry will do the same. Progresívne Slovensko MP Jaroslav Spišiak called it a desperate attempt to influence the outcome of the presidential election.
Mobile phones in the first to third grade of primary schools will be prohibited - during classes and during breaks, announced Education Minister Tomáš Drucker. He wants to enshrine the regulation of mobile phones in the law. (TASR)
An extraordinary session of parliament will be convened on Tuesday, April 9, to address the protection of Slovak citizens from bear attacks. The initiative was triggered by a Wednesday attack by bear on a young man in the Liptov region. On Wednesday, the government proposed parliament to pass a constitutional bill in a fast-tracked procedure to shoot dangerous bears. (TASR)
Slovakia's GDP growth should accelerate to 2.3 percent this year from the 1.1 percent seen last year, while inflation should slow down to 2.8 percent from last year's 11 percent, according to the spring medium-term macroeconomic forecast published by Slovakia's central bank (NBS) on Thursday. (TASR)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Friday's weather forecast for Slovakia indicates partly cloudy to cloudy conditions. There's a chance of rain or showers in many places, primarily at night, although during the day, precipitation is expected only rarely. Temperatures are forecast to range from 14°C to 22 °C throughout the day. (SHMÚ)
APRIL 5 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Miroslava.
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