MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, May 18, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, May 17): BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues) Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said that Slovakia does not plan to support the pandemic agreement at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, and intends to request that the treaty not be adopted by so so-called global consent but rather through a vote, adding that the government was expected to decide on the matter per rollam on Friday, May 16. "If anyone would like to challenge the per rollam decision, I will convene the government at any time, even tomorrow morning, and we'll adopt the decision at a regular cabinet meeting. This is our position on the pandemic treaty. It's harmful to sovereign countries and this is the stance we have taken," he noted. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues) Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said that based on price, quality, and safety, Russia would be the leading choice for building a new nuclear reactor, but due to the political situation, this option is not viable, and therefore the only country currently able to ensure swift construction is the United States. "You make a list, set your priorities, say to yourself: quality, price, safety — do you know who comes out on top? The Russian Federation," said Fico. "We believe that the only one currently capable of delivering results in the form of a swift construction of such a reactor is the United States of America," the prime minister added. Although the government hasn't yet decided on the supplier or financing method, the prime minister suggested that the AP1000 pressurized water reactor from Westinghouse Electric, with a capacity of 1250 megawatts, could be the choice. He added that the United States could lead the project, worth over ten billion euros, potentially collaborating with other countries experienced in nuclear technologies, such as France, South Korea, and, after the conflict in Ukraine, Russia. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues) Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) expressed a desire to discuss reforms of democratic political systems, highlighting the "parliamentary chaos" in Slovakia and European countries, and mentioned China as an example of an efficient method of governing. Fico rejects sanctions against Russia that would, according to him, harm Slovakia and stated he would support a possible referendum against sanctions. The prime minister reiterated his rejection of the policy of a single mandatory viewpoint on the "new Iron Curtain" between Europe and Russia. He also said he respects China. "I believe that China, as a stable country, shows that there are other methods of governance that prove to be economically very effective. How do we want to compete with China, which is fulfilling its plans, with the style of governance we have in Europe and Slovakia?" Fico expressed concern that Slovakia might never catch up. "I'm simply calling for a discussion on the reform of democratic political systems based on democratic general election, to end this parliamentary political chaos, which isn't only in Slovakia but has spread to almost all European countries," he added. Fico also announced plans to visit Vietnam in the autumn and is preparing for a trip to Cuba. BRATISLAVA - The majority of Slovaks support Slovakia's membership of both the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Union (EU), with membership of both associations being supported by more than 70 percent, according to the Globsec Trends 2025 poll of public opinion in nine countries in Eastern and Central Europe. "Another question asked was whether the respondents would defend their country if it were attacked by a foreign state. Here we can see that yes, in most countries this is the case. Slovakia is an exception in this region, where only 49 percent of Slovak respondents would go out and defend their country if it was attacked by a foreign state. This is a huge disparity, especially when we compare it with Poland, where the willingness to defend one's country is at 84 percent," said analyst at Globsec's Centre for Democracy and Resilience Katarina Klingova. The survey found that within the region, 73 percent of the people polled think that their country should increase defence spending, while in Slovakia it was 63 percent of the respondents. At the same time, more than two-thirds of the Slovak respondents agreed with the introduction of voluntary military service. This compares with 89 percent in Poland. lin