President: Summit on Slovakia's Future to Reveal Pillars of Its Long-Term Vision

Bratislava, 13 June (TASR) - The fundamental pillars of Slovakia's vision for its long-term development should be shaped with the help of a 'Summit on the Future of Slovakia', a series of cross-party discussions held under the auspices of the president, President Peter Pellegrini has said in an interview for TASR TV. "We held a major round-table discussion on public administration reform. A few days ago, I hosted a major round-table discussion on modern technologies and artificial intelligence," said the president. Pellegrini would like to launch such a series of discussions in the final part of this year. "Some time in the autumn or at the end of the year, I'd like to organise a round of talks, perhaps starting with one large meeting in Bratislava, followed by at least eight regional meetings. I'll call it the Summit on the Future of Slovakia," stated the president, who intends to continue the debates throughout next year. "I want us to discuss without political labels what the three or four basic pillars of the vision up to 2035 should be, and to reach consensus on them," he added. When asked why he decided not to call a referendum on banning the enforcement of anti-Russian sanctions, the president replied that he acted in accordance with the Slovak Constitution. "The Constitution provides three options: to call a referendum, not to call one, or, if the president has doubts, to turn to the Constitutional Court. But what's the point of having a president if he always has to ask the Constitutional Court? In that case what are the first two options for?" asked Pellegrini. He added that based on his own conviction and the materials available to him, he couldn't have acted otherwise. "The president must be able to make decisions that may not be entirely popular if he's convinced that they are in Slovakia's interests," he stated. lin/df