Inaugural Speech of the President of the Slovak Republic, H.E. Ivan Gašparovič, delivered in the historical building of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava on 15 June 2009
Distinguished Speaker of the National Council, Distinguished Prime Minister, Distinguished President of the Constitutional Court, Distinguished Members of Parliament, Distinguished members of the Slovak Government, Your Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Dear fellow citizens,
Five years ago I stood here before you, the citizens of the Slovak Republic, and took the solemn oath of office just as I have done a short while ago. I am standing here again, grateful for your confidence in me to serve as Head of State for the next five years. I take it as a commitment and a signal showing that our citizens are not listless or indifferent when it comes to the matters of the state, and the politicians who run the state.
Slovakia, through the modern history of its independence, is a success story in terms of its transformation and its establishment on the international political scene.
I am glad to have contributed towards these achievements, yet the lion’s share of the credit is yours, my dear fellow citizens, for remaining trustful and loyal to your state even in times of social difficulty. I have attached all the more appreciation and weight to your support because of this. My second term of office begins in the year in which we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the events of November 1989 that led to our freedom.
We shared our hope for freedom and democracy together with our neighbours and the new family of free nations. Not only the goals of those days, but also the feeling to togetherness, should remain the basis of our neighbourly relations.
Nowadays, Slovakia enjoys the benefits of the eurozone and firm trans-Atlantic relations. Slovakia is addressing global security risks and the impacts of the global economic and financial crisis together with its allies. One cannot be better placed than this to face the future.
I am mentioning these general and well-known truths in order to emphasise our embarrassment at the conduct of certain politicians who complicate the relationships among the states and nations of our region. Slovakia understands that it needs friendship and cooperation with all its neighbours to develop. Our society is diverse and dynamic, but also controversial in many ways. However, some values remain undisputable and eternal. According to our Constitution, we are all “... free and equal in our dignity and rights”. This must be our guide, for all of us. As far as the national minorities are concerned, their rights are laid down in the Constitution. Let me emphasise that they go beyond and above similar constitutional arrangements in other EU member states.
The text of our Constitution, which begins with a reference to Slovak statehood within the Great Moravian Empire, encourages us to promote understanding amongst nations and churches and perceive our differences as a means for mutual enrichment rather than a pretext for disputes. The foreign policy of our state has been based – and I am convinced that it will continue to be based – on respect for international law. We therefore understand the pain of our Serbian friends concerning the Kosovo issue. The experience of the past years has taught us that Slovakia must be more consistent in defending its interests in the European Union and NATO. We should always remind ourselves of the fact that the requirement for peace was the initial impulse that triggered the process of European integration. The privilege of being amongst the most powerful carries higher responsibility rather than a license for arbitrariness.
I firmly believe that the expansion of the influence of Europe and the consistent implementation of international law are much more conducive to cooperation than confrontation. The world of the 21st Century will be different from the world of the century in which independent Slovakia was born. We are witnessing a rise in the power and influence of the emerging economies of China, India, Brazil and the renewed Russia. It is thus necessary for Slovakia to strive, both in the foreign policy arena and within the context of international organisations, for the spirit of cooperation and effective multilateralism to prevail.
The first serious step towards such a world can be taken at a Russia-US summit. Their determination to rid the world of nuclear weapons fills us with hope that this noble goal can be achieved. I am convinced that the pursuit of the interest shared by all states in having the world free of nuclear weapons would be an excellent basis on which all Millennium Development Goals could be achieved, including the eradication of poverty and illiteracy, the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, universal access to better health care, debt relief for poor states, and restored environmental sustainability. The time has come for mankind to stop causing and start solving all these global problems for the sake our planet.
Distinguished assembly, dear fellow citizens,
When I took the office of president five years ago, the motto of my work was “I Think Nationally and I Feel Socially”. I was criticized back then for not being in tune with the times because the modern world was different. Yet, time has shown that patriotism and social empathy are no anachronisms even in today’s world.
About a year ago, we received excellent news from the EU that Slovakia had complied with the criteria for the adoption of the euro and, as of l January 2009, the country acceded to the eurozone. This move came in recognition of our economic prosperity. Today, the situation is different. We have all felt the impacts of the global economic crisis which we did not cause, but the consequences of which we must face and tackle along with the other issues of our being.
Twenty years after the historic breakthrough in November 1989, when we set ourselves on the path of profound democratic changes, a larger part of Slovak society has reached the crossroads of its spiritual development. The question is no longer whether the citizens of Slovakia are for or against democracy! Absolutely not. Slovak society is confronted with another question, a question of values raised by the ongoing global economic downturn.
The state has been striving to tackle the problems induced by the global economic crisis by putting in place economy-stimulating measures and providing social support where needed. However, these interventions have their limits, simply because the good economic performance of recent years is in fact unlikely to recur in the near future. Those who govern the state, and society as a whole, have come to the crossroads – not only in economic terms, but also in terms of post-1989 values. In a complex situation like this, it is necessary to clearly define threats to our society, prevent the destruction of the past achievements and positive trends, and look for new and better ways for Slovakia’s development along both material and spiritual lines. Slovakia has something to build on in this respect. At the initiative of the Slovak cabinet, a team of experts has recently prepared a long-term development vision for Slovakia. In early April, together with the Speaker and Prime Minister, I took part in a discussion with the authors of this strategic paper. We agreed that the paper represents a solid basis on which the strategic lines of Slovakia’s development until 2015 can be built, regardless of the fact that the economic crisis has rectified certain strategic intentions of the state.
The global economic downturn has induced, and is likely yet to induce, a number of unexpected changes which, in the absence of template solutions, call for innovative approaches. It can only be good that those who run the state have begun to cooperate. However, in order to prepare ourselves for the post-crisis realities this cooperation should also encompass those elements of our society which in times of economic boom tend to stay on the margins of their interest, including official government and non-government institutions. I am referring to the participation in the management of public affairs in those areas where the situation does not call for immediate intervention, but where it fosters the stability of Slovakia and supports the social cohesion of its citizens from a strategic point of view.
Albeit the government is trying to alleviate the existing disparities, no society can be changed overnight. We all have a contribution to make towards its gradual change, in particular by fostering the essence and influence of a state governed by the rule of law and social justice. Our Constitution and laws represent the foundation on which we must build and develop Slovakia as a state governed by the rule of law. They are the base on which we must raise legal awareness, although the torrent of laws and regulations issued by EU authorities sometimes makes this task complicated. The same is true for the plethora of the decisions issued by EU judicial institutions. We must nevertheless persevere and remain creative in their transposition into our legal system. We must also continue to strengthen the authority, independence and impartiality of the judiciary of our sovereign state. For justice delayed is justice denied, and a law unenforced is a law ignored!
Distinguished assembly, dear fellow citizens,
The fact that solidarity has undoubtedly become one of the core values based on which the future of the European Union stands or falls begs a question: “To what extent do we apply the principle of solidarity to our domestic life?” You will all probably answer that the extent is very limited. Even though we understand that without real and effective solidarity, as opposed to solidarity proclaimed, we shall never get out the virtual world which caused the global financial crisis. Unless we get out of this virtual world, we shall never get out of the crisis.
“Crisis” is a description of the state of global affairs rather than an excuse. The crisis poses a challenge for our societies to stimulate creativity and responsibility and encourage their practical application. This is why the support of the state should focus on all businesses and employees, including those who had to interrupt their work. I am referring, in particular, to small businesses and sole traders.
If we base ourselves on a premise that it is currently impossible to predict how the global economic will develop, a number of sectors in Slovakia which looked promising before the crisis and which were given priority may find themselves in a completely different situation once the ramifications of the crisis fade. In view of this, the state should take political decisions which, rather than bringing immediate results, establish positive developmental trends for the future.
The experience of the United States during the Great Depression in the aftermath of the 1929 stock-exchange crash shows that the funds invested, at the time more-or-less haphazardly, in science and research yielded multiple returns. I am convinced that Slovakia should take the same direction. In my view, the Slovak Academy of Sciences is well placed to present a strategy for the funding of science and research which may, through the application of the results achieved in various fields of science, yield considerable savings and profits for the state.
Distinguished assembly, dear fellow citizens,
The world, including the European Union, has suffered considerable losses, both material and, in particular, spiritual. Human dignity has been pushed onto the margins of economic and, thereby, political endeavours. The enlightened politicians of today no longer defend only their own national interests. They must reconcile them with the interests of others. In other words: Respect and be respected! This epitomises my stance on both domestic and international policy in the years to come. It is fully in line with the appeal of Ľudovít Štúr – “With the World and to the World” – and is also in line with our position in the European Union. It is a position which – also seen through the prism of our Constitution – gives us every reason to remain confident. In the spirit of this, the politicians of all states should not view economic policy as an objective but rather as a tool that facilitates our being and coexistence!
You will surely understand that my speech today is not intended to encompass all aspects of life in our society, and I therefore refrain from mentioning specific tasks and projects. The government deals with them every day and I am lending my full support to the government in their endeavour to minimise the consequences of the crisis. I support all forward-looking measures and approaches and I am thinking about our strategic security bearing panhuman values in mind. We need the strength of common awareness, human respect and patriotism. And also European solidarity. We need to improve our legal and historical awareness and develop those core values upon which our culture, erudition, statehood and the European project were based.
These are the times of new possibilities and decisions. We have to be courageous enough to come up with innovative approaches, for these are necessary to enhance rural development, improve environmental protection and tackle many other existing and new challenges. We must place the citizen first, right in the focus of interest, having the future in mind. Groundbreaking times require groundbreaking decisions. If we take them, we will avoid future crises and their economic and social ramifications. No one will exempt us today from our responsibility for such decisions.
In tune with the policy of the European Union, the goal and duty of our state and society is to strengthen the protection of human rights and improve the existing legislative and business frameworks. A model of a state and society which is based on such clearly defined universal human values fosters the foundations of a civil society, and of a state governed by the rule of law and social justice. Such an arrangement for a modern European society is highly legitimate and desirable, and in my capacity as President I am reconfirming my commitment to such a society today.
Dear fellow citizens, Thank you for your trust. I shall do everything which our Constitution, laws and moral values dictate that I do. Also in the next five years, I shall first and foremost be serving you, the citizens of the Slovak Republic.
