Fico to Visit Romania on Friday, Will Meet President and Slovak Expats

Bratislava/Bucharest, 26 March (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) will pay an official visit to Romania on Friday (27 March), accompanied by Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) and Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee), according to a press release published on Wednesday (25 March) by the Democratic Union of Slovaks in Romania (UDSR). They will visit the cities of Bucharest and Oradea, where they are scheduled to meet Slovak expatriates. "The visit is of particular significance, marking the first official visit by a Slovak premier to Slovak communities in Romania," stated Adrian-Miroslav Merka, the UDSR president and MP representing the Slovak and Czech community in the Romanian Parliament. Fico will be received in Romania by President Nicusor Dan and Premier Ilie Bolojan. The Romanian premier will subsequently accompany the Slovak delegation to the city of Oradea, where they will meet representatives of the Slovak community living in the regions of Arad, Bihor, Cluj, Satu Mare, Salaj and Timis. More than 100 members of the Slovak community living in Romania will attend the event in Oradea, including the UDSR leadership, representatives of Slovak religious communities, heads of educational institutions teaching in Slovak, leaders of local organisations, and representatives of the local public administration. ko