MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 25 November 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 24 November): BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini considers US President Donald Trump's peace plan to end the war in Ukraine to be the first, yet also a major step in the right direction, but much work still needs to be done, and the most important task now is to reach a genuine agreement between Ukraine and Russia, according to the Slovak head of state's post on the social network X. In the post published in English, Pellegrini praised the US President and his team, who he said have been working tirelessly to achieve peace in Ukraine. The 28-point plan, whose full wording was released by the media this week, is, in Pellegrini's view, a very strong and very serious first step. "Many people say it is the most realistic plan so far. Of course, there is still a lot of work ahead – as always – but it is a big step in the right direction. The most important thing now is to reach a genuine agreement between Ukraine and Russia, strongly supported by the USA, the EU, NATO and all key international partners. This is how results are achieved," the Slovak President wrote. The published version of the US proposal to end the war, which Russia launched with its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, foresees, among other points, that Ukraine would cede the entire Donbas to Russia, commit to limiting its armed forces to a maximum of 600,000 personnel, and pledge never to join NATO. BRATISLAVA - State-owned forestry company Lesy SR is set to undergo mass lay-offs affecting between 300-500 people, opposition MP Alojz Hlina (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) told a press conference on Monday, stressing that Lesy SR must be protected because, in his words, it's in grave danger. "Lesy SR is under enormous threat, a threat to life. We need to talk about this. For the solutions, apart from criticism, we need to go there to investigate. We'll try to talk to our colleagues so that they'll finally let us go there," said the opposition MP. The MP explained that Lesy SR is about to ruin its forestry technology branch, including by laying off 70-80 people. "That's a lot, and basically all or most of them are blue-collar workers. That means there'll be no one to operate the machines," he stated. Hlina also called on the managers of the state-owned enterprise not to sign anything significant. He appealed to them not to take any major steps that would commit Lesy SR to long-term commitments or large deliveries. BRATISLAVA - Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has bestowed a state award - the Order of the Double White Cross, First Class - on Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann for his outstanding contribution to strengthening Slovakia's positions in international relations at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Monday. "This state award is a sign of our gratitude for your friendship, for your commitment, as well as our thanks for the indelible mark you've left on our country. It's a profound expression of respect for your tireless efforts and for building a better world based on dialogue between nations," said Pellegrini. He also praised Cormann's defence of the values on which the Slovak economy is built as one of the most open economies in the EU. "That's why it's vital for us to protect international cooperation, open markets and fair global trade," he stated, adding that the OECD secretary-general is a tireless advocate of these principles. Furthermore, Pellegrini extended his gratitude to Cormann for his leadership, thanks to which Slovakia has been able to make use of the best global practices and innovative solutions. BRATISLAVA - The coalition Voice-SD party won't violate the coalition agreement by voting with the opposition to dismiss Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee), Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) told journalists on Monday, adding that this is the result of Monday's coalition council meeting. At the meeting, coalition representatives also agreed on the course of the parliamentary session set to begin on Tuesday (25 November). "The result of today's coalition council meeting is that Voice won't undermine the coalition agreement by voting with the opposition to dismiss the minister. That was stated there," said Gaspar. SNS parliamentary caucus chair Roman Michelko also confirmed that no 'threat' was made at the coalition council meeting that Voice-SD would like to oust the coalition minister. "So it is extremely unlikely," he said. Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) is not concerned that Voice could vote to dismiss the transport minister. He considers him to be one of the most dynamic and best ministers in the government. "It would certainly not be politically ideal for Voice to try to dismiss one of the most successful ministers," he said. The no-confidence motion in Raz was submitted by the opposition on Monday. House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) is obliged to convene an extraordinary meeting on this motion within seven days. BRATISLAVA - Leaders and experts from several countries discussed the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in education at the BratislavAI Forum 2025, Education, Research, Development and Youth Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) and Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann stated at a press conference on Monday. The event in Bratislava was attended by top representatives of major international organisations, including the UN, UNESCO, OECD, and EU. The BratislavAI Forum 2025 included a meeting of ministers and representatives of ministries from nearly 40 countries around the world. "This debate was very important. It showed that without cooperation, discussion, and dialogue, we may sometimes do the same things, we may do them differently, and we could listen to each other more, which would help us avoid unnecessary mistakes. But above all, it showed that the issue of artificial intelligence is very serious. It may turn out that education is the sector most affected," said Drucker. Together with the OECD secretary-general, he considers it a goal to support the abilities of teachers and students in the proper use of AI. "So that they can use artificial intelligence both in teaching and in their future careers," said Cormann. At the same time, clear rules need to be set. "So that we can maximise opportunities while minimising risks as much as possible," he added. LUANDA - Slovakia must pay attention to its relations with African countries, mainly because Slovakia should build on the era of relations between the former Czechoslovakia and the African continent, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said on Monday in a video posted on social media from Luanda, Angola, where the European Union-African Union (AU) summit is taking place, TASR was told by the Government Office's press and information department. According to Fico, the informal European Union summit on the US peace plan for Ukraine had a significant impact on the summit. Nevertheless, he believes that Slovakia must pay attention to its relations with African countries. "Not only because this is required by Slovakia's sovereign foreign affairs policy oriented in all four cardinal directions, but mainly because we should build on the era of relations between the former Czechoslovakia and the African continent," said the prime minister. Fico noted that Czechoslovakia had helped many African countries in their struggle for national liberation and independence from colonialism, building schools and hospitals in African countries, sending experts, and enabling African students to study at its schools. Slovakia is opening three new embassies in Africa, including in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Algeria. "We've agreed with South Africa to scrap visas for Slovak citizens, which may further promote business and tourism opportunities. And today I also signed an agreement with the foreign affairs minister of the Central African Republic on setting up diplomatic relations," said the prime minister. jrg