BRATISLAVA, June 12, (WEBNOVINY) – The first year since the formation of the post-election coalition is a year of searching for oneself and for understanding within the coalition, stated President Ivan Gasparovic for the press with regard to the operation of the ruling coalition in the first year. According to the president, such search is going in individual coalition parties, too, where deputies differ in opinions on fulfilling the government program statement, which results in problems in adopting laws. “There is presently a large legislative chaos in Slovakia,” the head of state opines. Gasparovic went on to say that “there are drafts of new laws that are then not carried through, there are drafts submitted by the Cabinet, which eventually are not Cabinet draft bills, but parliamentary bills, and vice versa”. According to the president, the fundamental reform drafts are just now coming to the parliament. Gasparovic added that only now the laws will show how they respond to the situation in the economy, health care, education, science, and in people’s lives in general.
Gasparovic also reacted to recent statements of Speaker of Hungarian Parliament Laszlo Kover in an interview for the daily HOSPODARSKE NOVINY. Kover said in Monday’s interview for the Czech business daily that Hungary could have used military force, since Slovakia allegedly brutally changed the border with Hungary by building the Gabcikovo hydropower project. According to the president, it is necessary to react to such statements of Hungarian representatives. “I don’t support our foreign policy burying itself in the sand, not paying attention, not wanting to hear, not reacting and pretending to be a sleeping beetle. I am not for aggression either, as it could damage our relations even further,” the president stressed. He believes talks should be held. President Gasparovic thinks that meetings of the mixed Slovak and Hungarian committees should be held more often in order to find understanding and negotiate. “Nevertheless, I understand that two are needed for a negotiation”, he remarked. Gasparovic opines that political parties representing the Hungarian ethic minority should participate in the dialogue, too.
“There is no need to be aggressive, but not oblivious, either. It is often said that we are afraid, [but] no one is afraid. We cannot be in a position that we do not want to hear something, since the power that may then wake up will be so intense that it will be impossible to prevent problems arising from that,” Gasparovic warned.
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikulas Dzurinda announced on Wednesday he considered the statements of Speaker of Hungarian Parliament Laszlo Kover inconsiderate and inappropriate, but not posing even a minimal threat to Slovakia. He, however, did not say whether the Foreign Ministry planned a reaction or other steps following Kover’s statements. Dzurinda underscored that it was not good to speculate in media or in public about intentions, but rather to report decisions. Dzurinda said that earlier on Wednesday, Speaker of Slovak Parliament Richard Sulik reacted appropriately to Kover’s words. Sulik stated that Kover lied about Slovakia and belittled Slovakia’s citizens. “This statement is outrageous: threatening military intervention or mentioning military intervention in neighborhood relations between two countries is something that has no place in the vocabulary of good neighbors,” was Sulik’s reaction.
The president’s spokesman Marek Trubac provided this information to SITA news agency.
SITA