Slovak PM Fico makes first public appearance after assassination attempt

When Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico attended the European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium on March 22, 2024. [Xinhua]

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first appearance at a public event Friday after being attacked by a gunman in mid-May.

He presented a speech at the Devin Castle in Bratislava, in celebrating a national holiday.

"Europe and Slovakia have never  been so divided as they are today," Fico said.

He praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for visiting Kiev and Moscow. "I would have loved to join him, had my health condition enabled me to do so," he said.

According to him, there's never enough peace talks, peace initiatives in this regard.

He also called for forming a bulwark against "senseless progressive and liberal ideologies that damage Slovakia."

Fico sustained four gunshot wounds in an attack on May 15 when he greeted supporters after chairing a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova.