- Monday, February 24, 2025
The Slovak leader was reportedly stable but his condition continued to be “very serious”, his deputy informed.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (15) condemned the assassination attempt on Robert Fico, his Slovak counterpart, who was shot multiple times after attending a cabinet meeting in Handlova, a town in the eastern European nation. The Indian leader, who is seeking re-election at the moment, called the attack “cowardly and dastardly” and wished Fico a speedy recovery.
The 59-year-old, who is serving as the prime minister for the third time, was rushed to a hospital in Banska Bystrica where he underwent several hours of emergency surgery. He was reportedly stable but his condition continued to be “very serious”, Slovakia’s deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak told reporters the same day.
“Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic,” PM Modi tweeted.
Read: Slovakia PM Robert Fico shot multiple times in assassination attempt
In September 2022, Modi went to Tokyo to pay final tributes to former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, a close friend of his, after he was assassinated during an election campaign in July the same year.
The assassination attempt on Fico’s life took place when he was meeting people after the meeting. There, a gunman identified as Juraj Cintula, fired at him leaving the premier covered in blood stains. The accused, a 71-year-old Slovak poet, was arrested on the spot. He reportedly blamed Fico’s media policies. Cintula was called by the Slovak authorities as a ‘lone wolf who had radicalised himself’.
Fico is known to be a pro-Russia leader and remarked earlier this year that Kyiv should cede territory to Moscow to end a two-year-long war.
The attack on him was, however, condemned by all world leaders, be it from the east or west. Among them were US president Joe Biden, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskky.
