MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 20 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 19 June): BRATISLAVA - Repatriation flights from the Middle East region, coordinated by Slovak ministries, have been concluded for now. The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry continues to monitor the situation and is ready to respond promptly to the situation if necessary, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Thursday. "We've fulfilled all the requirements that have arisen as a result of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran at this point, but we are ready to promptly address the crisis situation again within our capabilities," stated the minister, noting that Slovakia helped not only its own citizens to leave the conflict region, but also nationals of 24 other countries through its repatriation flights. BRATISLAVA - Former MP and House vice-chair Jan Luptak has died at the age of 79, as the Banska Bystrica Municipal Office has confirmed for TASR. Luptak was elected an MP for the Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) in 1990. He was also elected an MP in the general election in 1992. Two years later he became an MP for the Association of Slovak Workers (ZRS), which he founded and led. He was elected a House vice-chair, serving in this post until 1998. After the party's failure in the general election in 1998, Lupták strove for his party's return to the political arena. However, he failed and let the ZRS be dissolved in 2017. PRAGUE - The atmosphere between the Czech and Slovak governments is currently much better than it was after the postponement of inter-governmental consultations a year ago, new Slovak ambassador to the Czech Republic Martin Muransky has said in an interview for TASR. Muransky opines that it's just a question of time before these consultations are resumed and that the will on the Slovak side doesn't depend on who wins the autumn elections to the Chamber of Deputies in the Czech Republic. "What defined that tense relationship wasn't the nature of our own relations, but the relationship to Ukraine and the war in Ukraine. And I think that the initial emotion here, which was very strongly moralised - and where there is a lot of moralising and scandalising - has receded, which is good," stated Muransky, stressing the need to focus on the things that unite countries rather than on those that divide them. BRATISLAVA - The Bratislava I District Court sentenced Yassin G., known as a fake plastic surgeon, to three years in prison on Thursday under minimum security for multiple counts of bodily harm, with some victims awarded compensation while others were referred to a civil court. The verdict isn't final, as both the prosecutor and the defendant have appealed the sentencing decision. According to the indictment, Yassin G. performed several unprofessional surgical procedures without the necessary permits, carrying them out in unhygienic conditions, without general anaesthesia, and causing patients serious medical complications and even damage to their health. BRATISLAVA - Doctor Peter L., who called on the public not to comply with COVID-19 measures at a public gathering in December 2020, denies any wrongdoing, as the main trial began on Thursday at the Bratislava I District Court, where he faces charges of incitement. "I'm innocent," Peter L. emphasised, stating that his case can't be considered incitement. He claimed that the motive behind his statements was the protection of people's lives and health. He asserts that the pandemic didn't exist and considers the decrees of the Public Health Authority, which regulated measures against the spread of COVID-19, to be legally null and void. "A legal obligation can only be imposed by law, not by decrees based on a law," the defendant said. Therefore, in his opinion, no one was obliged to wear a mask, get tested, or be vaccinated against COVID-19. BRATISLAVA - A new Coordination Centre for the Integrated Rescue System (IZS) was opened in Bratislava on Thursday, 13 June, on Tomasikova Street, with the Interior Ministry investing approximately €2.7 million in the building's modernisation since late 2023, and the centre will unify IZS units across the Bratislava Region. It was officially opened by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok and Health Minister Kamil Sasko (both Voice-SD). According to the interior minister, this was one of the projects they inherited in such a poor state that it seemed unlikely to ever be completed. “It was incomprehensible how the IZS units in the region with the highest population density per square kilometre could operate for years scattered across the city, with incomplete data sharing, often complicated mutual communication, and challenging infrastructure,” said Sutaj Estok. LJUBLJANA - We also find overlap with Slovenia in the arms industry, said Slovak President Peter Pellegrini in a joint statement with Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar at the port of Koper, Slovenia, where both agreed that defence spending should prioritise dual-use projects. “It's not easy to make a decision to sharply increase defence spending at a time when we must consolidate public finances, reduce debt, and lower the deficit. That is why it's important for us to answer the question ourselves whether our two countries are prepared to sufficiently defend the territorial integrity of our people in case of any threat. We need to strengthen our armed forces and, above all, our infrastructure because we need to, not because someone is forcing us to,” said Pellegrini. lin