“If my health had permitted it, I would have liked very much to have joined him,” the Slovak premier said.
Fico was shot four times on May 15 by a retired security guard, Juraj Cintula, who said he opposed the policies of Fico’s government, including abolishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor, which handled the gravest corruption offenses, and halting military aid to Ukraine. Fico spent weeks in hospital and is expected to endure long-term health consequences.
Cintula, 71, who was already looking at 25 years for attempted murder if found guilty, now faces life in prison after his charges were upgraded on Wednesday to a terrorist attack.
Security was tight at Friday’s invitation-only event at Devín Castle, attended by government ministers, MPs, ambassadors and other vetted guests. Fico was driven by limousine into the castle courtyard, and received a standing ovation from his audience. His speech was televised to the public and media, who were kept beyond the castle wall. Fico departed the castle immediately after his address.
“The people who were here in the ninth century were our ancestors, and we are their descendants,” Fico said in his speech, referring to two brothers, Cyril and Methodius, Byzantine Christian missionaries who brought the gospel to Great Moravia in 863 A.D., including to Devín and other parts of modern Slovakia. July 5 is a national holiday in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic in honor of the saints.
“We included a reference in our constitution to … Cyril and Methodius,” Fico continued. “Slovakia is supposed to be democratic, sovereign, social and ecological, and although they didn’t write the exact words, it should [also] be normal. And that normalcy is ensured by the spiritual legacy of Cyril and Methodius,” he said.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
