THE RECENT presence of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico at a reception held in Bratislava commemorating the anniversary of the Cuban revolution was sharply criticized by the opposition as well as by some his coalition partners.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Eduard Kukan of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU) said that Fico was damaging Slovakia's interests by attending the event. Ivan Mikloš of SDKU added that Fico was bringing shame to Slovakia. "The prime minister is not a private person and moves such as attendance at the celebration of a communist revolution or his planned trips to Libya and Venezuela are not made by decent politicians," said Mikloš.
Smer's deputy chairmen Dušan Čaplovič and Boris Zala rejected the criticism and insisted that these visits do not signal a change in Slovakia's foreign orientation. Both argued that the visits concern Slovakia's economic interests in these countries, the Pravda daily wrote.
However, not all the current ruling politicians agree with the PM's visits.
Ján Kovarčík, an MP for the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia said that in his opinion, the PM attending the Cuban event "was a mistake".
