Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič has been in office for four years

Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič and his wife Silvia Gašparovičová evaluated another year of presidential tenure.

As in the previous years, Gašparovič noted that during the last year in office he was endeavouring to contribute to building a modern social state capable of handling its own problems and addressing issues affecting the lives of people in other countries. He also mentioned the basic priorities which form a permanent part of his everyday actions and decisions. These include the effort to be a president who does not side with any political party, the effort to stay away from political disputes and arguments, the establishment of a consensual environment in relation to the Government and the Parliament, the fulfilment of the programme “thinking nationally, feeling socially” and the active contribution to the strengthening of the country’s foreign political position in the world. “From the viewpoint of fulfilling these goals, no one can say, even after four years, that I have deviated from, or betrayed them”, the Slovak President said.

He emphasised he was proud of Slovakia’s success story, as the country has seen significant progress both from the viewpoint of the transformation of its entire society and from the viewpoint of establishing its presence on the international political arena. At the same time, he thanked the citizens for their confidence bestowed upon him to discharge his presidential duties.
He praised the fact that he had managed to establish a correct and creative environment with two different governments, and that in most cases they always managed to strike an agreement about what was beneficial to the state and to the people.

Gašparovič underlined the importance of economic reforms and praised the courage and action to alter or improve several reforms which resulted in the growth of the economy and the inflow of investment.

He said that Slovakia will be strong only if standing on both feet – the left and the right – and that it will take a fair contest to determine which one of them will dominate in the given period.
Touching upon Slovakia’s expectations for the future, Ivan Gašparovič said it was necessary for the country to build on three pillars: security, prosperity and identity.
“I wish that Slovakia be a country that is predictable in terms of foreign policy, reliable for its partners, and capable of creating a safe world in those areas where instability dominates at present. I equally wish that Slovakia be a prosperous country – self-confident as a nation and upholding its traditional values. And I also wish that Slovakia be a strong country capable of pressing its national interests in unity,” the Slovak President said.

Closing his address, the President said he still felt strong enough to contribute to this story of our homeland, and that he wished to take part in this process in the next election term – provided that, however, he wins the trust of the people.