Pellegrini: Only Foreign Affairs Minister is Part of Delegation to UNGA

Bratislava, 23 September (TASR) - The only minister who is part of Slovakia's delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York is Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) together with his team, the Presidential Office's communications department informed TASR on Tuesday, adding that ministers who are currently on working visits in the USA are not part of the delegation. Reacting to statements by coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko earlier on Tuesday that President Peter Pellegrini should not refuse to take government ministers on board the official government aircraft, the head of state said that "every minister with an official programme during the UN session is welcome on board." However, he expects Danko to explain the purpose of the trip by Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (an SNS nominee) to the United States. “Instead of calling on me to do these things, Danko should first answer, since he is so keen to defend the culture minister, what was the purpose of her trip here, why she even came, and what are her plans over the coming days, given that she is not in New York and not at the UN session at all," said Pellegrini. "I am really getting tired of Danko's childish attacks and his obsession with me. I am not going to tolerate this any longer," said the president, adding that he had seen Simkovicova "only for half a day" at the Slovak Heritage Festival in New Jersey. The Presidential Office reiterated that the head of state is attending the UNGA session, taking the relevant experts and media representatives onboard. "The delegation includes Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár and his close team, who travelled together with the Slovak President to this most important international event," explained the Presidential Office, adding that ministers having the visit to the USA in their working agenda these days had travelled there based on their own schedule, time and priorities, because the president's visit to the the USA will last until Thursday (25 September). In a post on social media earlier on Tuesday, SNS called on Pellegrini not to refuse to take government ministers on board the official government aircraft with him during his foreign trips. Danko told journalists in Parliament that criticism directed at Simkovicova over her trip to the United States was unfair. Minister Simkovicova wrote on social media that she took part in the 47th Slovak Heritage Festival in New Jersey on Sunday (21 September), which was also attended by President Pellegrini as part of his official visit to the United States. Last Friday (19 September), the Stop Corruption Foundation reported via social media that the Culture Ministry had booked flights to New York for Minister Simkovicova and the ministry's head of communications, Petra Demkova. According to the foundation, the tickets cost the ministry nearly €16,000. jrg