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Vasaryova: President Gasparovic Prefers His Interests to His Duties
Tuesday 09 March 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic has never dealt with international politics, doesn't speak any foreign languages, and isn't sufficiently educated in European history, and that's why he can't be an equal partner with thoroughly-prepared European politicians, said SDKU-DS MP Magda Vasaryova in Parliament on Tuesday.
Vasaryova was speaking during a debate focused on the aims of Slovakia's foreign policies for 2010, as well as what was achieved last year. She pointed out that she was speaking on behalf of the whole of SDKU-DS.
"The people of Slovakia expressed clearly in the presidential elections last year that they don't require any foreign-politics activities from their president, or they wouldn't have voted for him (Gasparovic). They're satisfied with the head of the state opening certain institutions, or attending ice-hockey matches and hunts," said Vasaryova, adding that most voters don't mind either that the Slovak president went to Canada for a whole week to watch the Winter Olympic Games. "Hardly any democratic president in Europe would dare do this, especially because they don't have time. They have to work," she stressed.
Vasaryova also criticised the fact that Gasparovic ignored the inauguration of newly-elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as he was enjoying himself at the Olympics at that time.
"This is only one of the most recent examples from the president, who I think prefers his own interests to his duties. The consequences will appear in foreign policy, I know that," she added.
Vasaryova also pointed out that the only country that was visited by all three of Slovakia's top constitutional representatives during the current Government's four-year term of office was Vietnam. "Let me point out that the value of bilateral trade between Slovakia and Vietnam reached $100 million (€73.2 million), out of which Slovakia exported goods worth $9.5 million (€6.95 million) to Vietnam. This can't even be called a drop in the ocean vis-a-vis our business contracts with EU countries," she stressed, stating for comparison that products worth a total of $47.7 billion (€34.9 billion) were exported from Slovakia in 2008.
Chairman of the international parliamentary committee Juraj Horvath (Smer-SD) said in reaction that Ukraine is a special issue for Slovakia that deserves attention.
Turning to Vietnam, he argued that the previous government closed down the Slovak representative office in Vietnam without realising the consequences, "and that's why we had to re-open it and correct the mistake".
Horvath also stated that Vasaryova forgot to mention important visits by foreign representatives to Slovakia. "This isn't only about visits as such, but also about the results of negotiations," he added.
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