Government to Hold Away-from-Home Session at Smolenice Castle on Wednesday

Bratislava, 23 February (TASR) - The Slovak Government will hold an away-from-home session at Smolenice Castle on Wednesday (25 February) with a focus on the districts of Trnava, Piestany and Hlohovec (Trnava region), TASR has learnt from the Government Office's press department. "This is the first session of the cabinet to focus systematically on this region characterised by a high standard of living, strong economic background and clear potential for further strategic development," stated the department. The session will take place at Smolenice Castle, which has been the seat of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) since 1953 and a national cultural monument since 1963. In the past, the castle has hosted former Slovak president Michal Kovac and his Czech counterpart Vaclav Havel, the prime ministers of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), Nobel Prize laureates and prominent scientific figures. "This venue was also selected to underline the expertise, continuity and long-term vision of the state, while directly linking the government session with preparing a Vision and Strategy for the Development of Slovakia until 2040 - Slovakia 2040," said the Government Office's press department. Director of the SAV congress centre at Smolenice Castle Lubica Zaborska believes that "combining top-level decision-making with an environment that symbolises expertise and interdepartmental cooperation will contribute towards adopting strategic decisions with long-term benefits for the regions and the whole of Slovakia". jrg/df