He was present at Devin Castle in Bratislava during a ceremony commemorating Saints Cyril and Methodius Day, a public holiday in Slovakia.
In his speech, which marked his first live address to the nation since the assassination attempt on his life, Fico hit back against progressive and liberal ideologies that he claimed were “spreading like cancer” and hurting the country.
“I don’t want Slovakia to be among the countries that become a caricature of Western civilization,” he said.
The politician also reiterated his support for peace talks in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, commending his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán for
visiting Moscow. He added that if health authorities permitted him to travel, he would very much like to join Orbán.
“There are not enough, I repeat, not enough peace talks, peace initiatives,” Fico said.
Fico, a four-time leftist prime minister who returned to power after winning an election last September, was shot when he greeted supporters at a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlová, leaving him needing hours of surgery. He has been recovering at home since the end of May.
The attack has deepened the polarization in the central European country of 5.4 million.
Since taking office, Fico’s leftist-nationalist government has implemented significant policy changes. These include amending the country’s criminal laws, canceling a special prosecutor’s office, transforming the
public broadcaster, and adopting a pro-Russian foreign policy that involved halting military aid to Ukraine.
Opposition parties have fiercely contested Fico’s government over these changes, while the European Union has closely monitored any erosion in rule of law and media freedoms in the country.
