Premier Robert Fico Departs for Moscow on Government Aircraft

Bratislava, May 8 (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) departed for Moscow on Thursday afternoon aboard a government aircraft operated by the Interior Ministry, TASR learnt from ministry spokesperson Matej Neumann on the same day. According to radar data, the government aircraft headed towards Russia via Hungary and Romania. The original route had to be changed after Fico announced on Wednesday (May 7) that Estonia wouldn't allow the Slovak government aircraft to fly over its territory. The premier called this a deliberate attempt to sabotage his visit to Moscow, where he's set to attend the 80th anniversary celebrations marking the end of the Second World War. During his visit to Moscow, Fico is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he'll also hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trọng. lin/df