Premier Fico: Courage and Sovereignty in Favour of Slovak Citizens

        Bratislava, July 17 (TASR) - The anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Slovakia's Sovereignty should be a message that courage, sovereignty, own opinion and defence of Slovakia's nation-state interests pay off and are in favour of Slovakia's citizens, who wanted an independent Slovak Republic in 1992, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated in a video on a social network on Wednesday.
        The premier thanked mayor of the village of Stara Bystrica (Zilina region) and MP for Smer-SD Jan Podmanicky for organising the celebrations of Slovakia's sovereignty. "On July 17, 1992, I was a 27-year-old beginner in Parliament, yet it was clear to me that the declaration was necessary for the independence of the Slovak Republic," said the premier, blaming the media for not reporting enough on the anniversary.
        Fico also mentioned that in 1992 he was worried whether Slovakia would be able to survive as an independent republic after January 1, 1993. "Even today, we have legitimate concerns about our sovereignty and to what extent we're able to pursue a sovereign Slovak foreign policy and promote our nation-state interests in a wild world where no other opinion is respected," he said.
        Slovakia marks the 32nd anniversary of its Declaration of Sovereignty on Wednesday. The Slovak National Council within the former Czech and Slovak Federal Republic adopted the declaration in 1992, thereby declaring sovereignty. In doing so, the Slovak nation expressed for the first time interest in becoming an independent country, which resulted in the Constitution adopted on September 1, 1992 and later in the creation of an independent state on January 1, 1993.