MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 27 November 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 26 November): VYSNY ORLIK - The government considers the issue of post-war documents concerning the settlement of relations after World War II in Slovakia (the so-called Benes Decrees) to be closed, and it rejects the idea of revising post-war documents concerning this topic and the politicisation of this issue. This is according to a statement on the inviolability of post-war documents concerning the settlement of relations after World War II in Slovakia that the government approved at its away-from-home session in Presov region on Wednesday. The proposal was tabled by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The government declared that legal acts of representative bodies of the Czechoslovak Republic and the Slovak National Council on the settlement of relations after World War II are part of Slovakia's legal order, adopted as part of the post-war settlement following the defeat of Nazism and based on the principles of international law, and no new legal relationships can arise on their basis. Furthermore, the cabinet declared that the legal and property relations established by these decisions are indisputable, inviolable and immutable. VYSNY ORLIK - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said following the government session in Vysny Orlik (Presov region) on Wednesday that he won't dismiss former foreign affairs minister Miroslav Lajcak from the council of advisors. Concerning the call for Lajcak's dismissal due to his communication with late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, the premier said that he has found nothing that would make him want to dismiss him. Fico reiterated that he won't yield to pressure from the media or those who feel an aversion to Lajcak, adding that he's had all the relevant information checked. "We've looked at all communications, and I've found nothing that would force me to dismiss Miroslav Lajcak, I have no reason to do so," he said. The premier also highlighted Lajcak's reputation as a top-level diplomat, along with his erudition and contacts, from which Slovakia and its government can benefit. BRATISLAVA - Prosecutor-General (PG) Maros Zilinka has submitted a letter to House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) in which he states his reservations to the draft regarding the transformation of the Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO) into any other office. Meanwhile, Zilinka has posted on a social network that the legal conditions for a short-track legislative procedure haven't been met. At the same time, he stated that the proposer, the Interior Ministry, chose a non-standard way of creating a new office - by narrowing the protection of whistleblowers without regard to EU law and by not respecting the principles of the rule of law. "First of all, I reiterated in the letter that the legal conditions for a fast-track legislative procedure on the bill haven't been met," stressed Zilinka. BRATISLAVA - The disciplinary senate of the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) has acquitted Specialised Criminal Court (STS) head Michal Truban of disciplinary charges, as it wasn't proven that the act in regard to which disciplinary proceedings were conducted had taken place. The case concerned the failure to declare bias when deciding on detention in the 'Stock Farmer' case. The senate was bound by the ruling of the Constitutional Court as of June 2025. The motion for disciplinary proceedings against Truban was filed in October 2020 by then STS head Jan Hrubala and then Judicial Council chair Jan Mazak. They requested his transfer to a lower court. LISBON - During his visit to Portugal on Wednesday, President Peter Pellegrini received his first state decoration in office from his counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, namely the highest class of Portuguese state decoration - the Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry, reported a TASR correspondent. Pellegrini reciprocally presented the Portuguese president with Slovakia's highest civilian decoration, the Order of the Double White Cross, First class. This is the first state visit by a Slovak head of state to Portugal in 20 years. At the start of the visit, Rebelo de Sousa welcomed Pellegrini with an official ceremony with military honours in front of the Jeronimos Monastery, one of Portugal's most important monuments. BRATISLAVA - General Director of the Slovak ZSR railway infrastructure owner Ivan Bednarik on Wednesday delivered a letter to the ZSR's board of directors announcing that he was stepping down from his post, ZSR spokeswoman Petra Lanikova confirmed to TASR. Also on Wednesday, chair of the Czech ANO party Andrej Babis, submitted to Czech President Petr Pavel a list of personnel nominations for members of his future government. Bednarik has been proposed to serve as Czech transport minister. "The reason for my resignation as general director is today's nomination of myself as a candidate for the post of transport minister of the Czech Republic," Bednarik stated. ko