President Not Moving into State Villa Yet, But He Could Make Use of Space

Ankara, 9 July (TASR) - I don't yet want to move into the state-provided villa, President Peter Pellegrini told reporters in response to a question at a press conference on the plane returning from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, pointing to the social climate. According to him, the public wouldn't accept such a move. However, the President's Office could make use of the premises. It could host informal meetings of leaders there. "You can never count on an elected president or prime minister automatically coming from the Bratislava area and already have housing secured. So, looking ahead, it makes a lot of sense. But be honest with yourselves and ask how this would be interpreted today," he said. The head of state noted that Slovakia began addressing the issue of state housing for the most senior constitutional officials following the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) two years ago. The president pointed out that it hasn't yet been determined which villa will be assigned to which official. If the President's Office were to receive the properties, it would use them for official opportunities. "So that we can gradually begin to use these buildings for official functions, smaller-scale meetings, and so on," he said, noting that the villas have spaces suitable for official functions. In the future, he said, society should reach an agreement that the president, the House chair and the premier should, in connection with the performance of their duties, also be provided with housing where their security would be properly guaranteed. am/df