New Slovak government head Robert Fico appoints Ukrainophobe as country's foreign minister

Wednesday, 25 October 2023, 17:11

Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová on Wednesday, 25 October, approved a new government led by Smer-SD party leader Robert Fico who was noted for a number of anti-Ukrainian statements.

Source: European Pravda

Details: During a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Čaputová said that the new government faced various challenges, in particular, higher prices for energy and food, as well as the level of education and health care.

She expressed hope that Fico’s government will continue its good relations with neighbouring countries, in particular with Ukraine amidst its war with Russia.

In turn, the new prime minister thanked Čaputová for the appointment of his government, noting that he became the prime minister for the fourth time. Fico also said the new government would pursue a "sovereign foreign policy".

The new government of Slovakia’s key positions for Ukraine were taken by officials not inclined to support Kyiv.

In particular, as expected, Juraj Blanár, the former mayor of Žilina known for his odious statements about Russia's war against Ukraine, has become Slovakia's foreign minister in Robert Fico’s government, despite not being a diplomat. He called the war against Ukraine a "conflict between Russia and the United States," claimed that Kyiv was "fighting against its own people," and opposed the transfer of weapons to Ukraine.

The Slovak Ministry of Defence is now headed by Robert Kaliňák, the former Interior Minister of the country, who resigned after the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and was previously accused of corruption.

Among the other members of the Cabinet of Robert Fico, who drew the attention of the media, is Martina Šimkovičová, the new Minister of Culture, who made 28 mistakes in the candidate's statement of 36 lines.

As reported, after the recent parliamentary elections in Slovakia, a government is being formed from Euro-sceptic and anti-Ukrainian forces. The speaker of the country's parliament is former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, a representative of the Voice party, which is part of a coalition with the political force of pro-Russian Robert Fico.

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