MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 22 September 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 21 September): NEW YORK - The reform of the United Nations (UN) should lead to more efficient functioning of the organisation while delivering concrete results, with Slovakia considering it important that the reform process be transparent and that small and medium-sized countries have a real say in it, President Peter Pellegrini said during his talks with UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman in New York, TASR has learnt from its special correspondent. Pellegrini praised Rahman's intention to focus his work on restoring trust in the UN and managing the changes the organisation is going through. He said it was crucial for member states to see tangible results in the UN's functioning. In a situation where the UN Security Council is divided on several issues, the importance of the General Assembly as a forum in which all member states are represented is growing, stated Pellegrini. The talks also revolved around challenges associated with the development of artificial intelligence. Slovakia views new technologies as an opportunity, but their use must go hand in hand with responsibility. The UN has a special position in this area, as it provides a platform for all countries to participate in the discussion. BRATISLAVA/NEW YORK - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) described Monday's meeting between foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four countries (V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the Permanent Mission of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations (UN) as a historic success for Slovak diplomacy, TASR has learnt from its special correspondent in New York. According to Blanar, Slovakia had been striving to establish this format for eleven years. "We agreed with our Indian partner that we'll meet regularly and assess our cooperation," said Blanar, adding that the partners want to draw up a schedule of specific activities, such as an annual business forum to be held alternately in V4 countries and India in order to bring together companies interested in mutual economic cooperation. Blanar also pointed to ongoing negotiations concerning the EU-India free trade agreement. When completed, it would represent a significant opportunity for the V4 countries and the EU as a whole, given India's growing economic importance, he stated. BRATISLAVA - Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is not an automatic order to go to war and leaves each state room to decide what form of assistance to provide; however, its core principle must remain intact: an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) has posted social media to mark the International Day of Peace. "If we were to label this commitment as merely formal or unenforceable, we would also have to admit that our allies could one day take the same approach towards us," noted Rasi. Rasi said that peace cannot depend solely on a written threat of retaliation. Above all, it rests on dialogue, respect for international law and credible solidarity that deters aggression before it occurs. "Our goal should not be the invocation of Article 5, but to pursue a responsible policy that ensures it never needs to be invoked," stated the House chair. According to Rasi, peace requires restraint, diplomacy and efforts to prevent escalation. He therefore views President Peter Pellegrini's call for prudence as appropriate. "Restraint, however, must not mean ambiguity when it comes to our commitments to our allies," he said. BRATISLAVA - If a general election had been held in early September, it would have been won by the senior governing Smer-SD party on 18.7 percent of the vote, followed by the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party with 18.2 percent and the far-right Republic party with 9.9 percent, according to a recent poll carried out by the Social Research Centre, which is part of the Statistics Office's subsidiary Infostat. Also making it to Parliament would have been the opposition Christian Democrats (KDH, 8.8 percent), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS, 8.4 percent), governing Voice-SD (7.4 percent), the opposition 'Slovakia' party (6.9 percent), extra-parliamentary Democrats (5.9 percent) and the Hungarian Coalition (5 percent). Among the parties that would have stayed outside Parliament were 'Right to Truth' (3.5 percent), the currently governing Slovak National Party (SNS, 3.2 percent), 'We Are Family' (2.2 percent) and far-right LSNS (1.5 percent). BRATISLAVA - The Coalition Council discussed the draft state budget and agreed that the leaders of the governing parties will present a political agreement on the budget in the coming days, TASR learnt from the Government Office's press department on Monday. Smer-SD parliamentary caucus chair Jan Richter stated on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday (20 September) that during the Coalition Council's meeting on Monday, the parties will discuss, as the main item on the agenda, the draft state budget for 2027 which he said will be "99 percent final" when submitted to Parliament. Richter believes that the vote on the budget in Parliament will not be tied to a vote of confidence in the government. According to him, the coalition rejects drawing up a budget that would scrap existing social support measures for people. According to Richter, the coalition has reached a consensus regarding government bills submitted to Parliament. "Then there are bills submitted by parties, such as the childbirth allowance amounting to €1,000. And there are also MPs' bills, mainly tabled by Voice-SD and the Slovak National Party (SNS). An agreement has been reached that we'll support them in the first reading, while amendments and changes will be made in the second reading," said Richter, adding that comments to such amendments will also be presented by the relevant minister and the finance minister. KOSICE - Volvo Car Kosice announced the launch of the first work shift and the milestone of reaching 1,000 employees at its upcoming electric vehicle plant in the Valaliky industrial park near Kosice on Monday. The company is currently preparing for trial operation, with serial production set to begin next year. According to the company, the project for the plant near Kosice is progressing in line with the plan and gradually entering the next stage. An important novelty supporting the gradual ramp-up of production is a new rail service for employees. The work shift runs from 6:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. "Launching the first shift and reaching the milestone of 1,000 employees are important steps in the gradual ramp-up of our plant. Trial production, which will begin in just a few weeks, will help us verify processes, technologies, and the readiness of our teams ahead of the planned start of serial production in 2027," said company director Marc Gombeer. ko