MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 6 July 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 5 July): BRATISLAVA - Cyril and Methodius celebrations shouldn't only serve as a reminder of our history, but also a reason to discuss what our future will look like, said President Peter Pellegrini at a national pilgrimage held in Nitra on Saturday. „Let's come together and show that we can do as much for Slovakia as Cyril and Methodius did. It's important to think today about how we can move our country forward, as they did in the past,“ the president added. According to Pellegrini, it's also important that Slovaks don't forget their history, roots and identity during such holidays, but also reflect on the current situation, stressing that Slovak society shouldn't be divided. „Let's stop arguing with each other, hating each other, building big walls in our society, and let's try to come together,“ he said. BRATISLAVA - Public holidays shouldn't be appropriated by anyone, as they belong to everyone, stated President Peter Pellegrini in his speech at the Devin Castle during Saturday's national celebrations of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius on our territory, adding that these holidays shouldn't divide Slovaks or be used for political or any other conflicts. „Slovakia and its national holidays give us a mosaic of values on which our homeland and our nation are built. Each of them represents something different, but together they create a picture of the values we stand for. It wouldn't be right to choose only the holiday we like or that feels closer to our heart from among them,“ Pellegrini said. "If today an atheist or a liberal has celebrated this festive day and honoured it properly, then a conservative is also able to celebrate 1 May [Labour Day], and social democrats and leftists can and will be able to celebrate 17 November [the Velvet Revolution that led to the end of communist regime in Slovakia - ed.note] ," Pellegrini noted. The president stated that Cyril and Methodius made it possible to celebrate the liturgy in Slovak language on the Slovak territory. One of the messages should therefore be to reflect on whether people are using the right words and the right language. "We should say sincerely tell ourselves that we reject language that's vulgar, language that is offensive and language that divides," he said. BRATISLAVA - Without the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius, it would have been impossible to speak of cultural and political independence or state sovereignty of the Slovak people, stated Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in his speech at the Devin Castle during Saturday's national celebrations of the arrival of the two saints on our territory, stressing that despite the absence of territorial, cultural or political autonomy for more than a thousand years, Slovakia has preserved its own identity to this day. According to the premier, the European Union and the whole world nowadays lack personalities comparable to the Thessalonian brothers, adding that Cyril and Methodius were a symbol of unity. Fico believes that honouring the two apostles means defining „a clear value orientation for our politics“. He considers their missionary work to be ahead of the time. „Those in Slovakia who refuse to pay state tribute to these two outstanding Thessalonian brothers do so because they [the two saints] don't fit into the strange scheme of their unravelling world,“ the prime minister claimed. „The Iron Curtain is becoming a reality. Relations have broken down and anyone who shows even the slightest interest or understanding of what's happening behind the curtain is immediately accused of betraying European values,“ he noted. "We'll extend a hand for peaceful cooperation through the Iron Curtain,“ he added. BRATISLAVA - Let's take inspiration from Saints Cyril and Methodius in our domestic and foreign policy, stated House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) in his speech at the Devin Castle during Saturday's national celebrations of the arrival of the two saints on our territory. Rasi noted that the approaches of the two saints are inspiring even today. „In spreading the faith and creating a new script, Saints Cyril and Methodius approached the traditions and customs of the Slavic population with tolerance and respect. Thanks to this, they elevated Old Church Slavonic to the fourth liturgical language. At the same time, they introduced the first ideas of equality and the conviction that every nation has the right to celebrate God in its native language and to be equal before Him,“ he said, adding that education is the greatest gift that can be given to the young generation. The house chair also praised the idea of equality, saying that „all nations and states - big or small - have the same right to peaceful calm and free existence“. „They taught us that cooperation and unity built on the values of humanism, freedom and equality is the foundation of our national identity. To be a proud Slovak with sincere love for one's homeland is in line with the feeling of being a European proud of the values of European civilisation,“ he added. BRATISLAVA - Firefighters intervened at a forest fire in Richnava (Kosice region) on Saturday afternoon, managed to stop the uncontrollable spread of fire from the upper side, and are currently extinguishing it in the direction of the wind, TASR learnt from the Fire and Rescue Corps' social media statement on the same day. lin