Premier: Danko's Had Fetish for Me for Halting Military Purchases

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) – The contents of a Facebook status posted late on Saturday in which Parliamentary Chair Andrej Danko (SNS) called on me “not to act like a coward” and to withdraw the Slovak soldiers stationed in Iraq immediately probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was written at midnight, said Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) in reaction on Sunday.

Pellegrini stated that he views Danko’s comments not only as unbecoming for the second most senior representative of the country but also as Danko’s reaction to Pellegrini’s decision to put a halt to purchases worth billions of euros for the Slovak army. “I’m aware of the fact that he’s had fetish for me for the past two months and that it probably began when I put a stop to purchases for the army. I’ve been noting his negative attitude towards me ever since,” said Pellegrini.

The prime minister said at the same time that he refuses to retaliate against Danko by mimicking his behaviour. “I’ll never resort to such a simple-minded, emotional and at times primitive way of engaging in politics,” he added.

Pellegrini added that he doesn’t need to be told what to do and how. “Unlike the parliamentary chair, who’s supposed to manage parliamentary sessions, I have a much greater responsibility. And while in this post I’ll always act professionally and responsibly to a degree that will allow Slovakia to maintain its credit,” stated the premier.