٠٠:٠٢:٠٣Mandatory credit: NATO TV
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to the shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico during a meeting with NATO generals in Brussels on Thursday saying that the Alliance was 'shocked and appalled'.
"We are shocked and appalled by the shooting. It violates every idea of democracy, in democracies we can disagree, we can have different opinions but violence is absolutely unacceptable," Stoltenberg stated.
During the session, the NATO military committee credited Stoltenberg for his work for the alliance calling him 'general amongs generals' as Stoltenberg presumably attended meeting for the last time.
"You are a general amongst general and after debating which rank would suit you best, five stars or more, we have decided that you are a north star," Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee said.
On Wednesday evening, the PM was airlifted to hospital after being shot multiple times following a government meeting in Handlova. The alleged assailant was named in local media as 71-year-old Slovakian Juraj Cintula.
Initially he was reported to be in a 'life-threatening condition', while on Thursday morning, government officials and the hospital in Banska Bystrica reported that he had 'stabilised' but the situation remained 'serious'.
Also on Wednesday, Slovak Minister of Interior Matej Sutaj Estok claimed the country was 'on the edge of a civil war' and called for 'hateful comments' on social media networks to stop 'immediately', adding that early reports suggested a 'clear political motivation'.
59-year-old Fico was elected in September 2023, marking his fourth period as PM and ran on a campaign to end military support to Ukraine. He has opposed EU sanctions on Russia and the sending of arms to Kiev, saying the US and others should use their influence to bring about a peace deal.
'Violates every idea of democracy' - Stoltenberg condemns 'shocking' Fico assassination attempt
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to the shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico during a meeting with NATO generals in Brussels on Thursday saying that the Alliance was 'shocked and appalled'.
"We are shocked and appalled by the shooting. It violates every idea of democracy, in democracies we can disagree, we can have different opinions but violence is absolutely unacceptable," Stoltenberg stated.
During the session, the NATO military committee credited Stoltenberg for his work for the alliance calling him 'general amongs generals' as Stoltenberg presumably attended meeting for the last time.
"You are a general amongst general and after debating which rank would suit you best, five stars or more, we have decided that you are a north star," Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee said.
On Wednesday evening, the PM was airlifted to hospital after being shot multiple times following a government meeting in Handlova. The alleged assailant was named in local media as 71-year-old Slovakian Juraj Cintula.
Initially he was reported to be in a 'life-threatening condition', while on Thursday morning, government officials and the hospital in Banska Bystrica reported that he had 'stabilised' but the situation remained 'serious'.
Also on Wednesday, Slovak Minister of Interior Matej Sutaj Estok claimed the country was 'on the edge of a civil war' and called for 'hateful comments' on social media networks to stop 'immediately', adding that early reports suggested a 'clear political motivation'.
59-year-old Fico was elected in September 2023, marking his fourth period as PM and ran on a campaign to end military support to Ukraine. He has opposed EU sanctions on Russia and the sending of arms to Kiev, saying the US and others should use their influence to bring about a peace deal.
Mandatory credit: NATO TV
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to the shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico during a meeting with NATO generals in Brussels on Thursday saying that the Alliance was 'shocked and appalled'.
"We are shocked and appalled by the shooting. It violates every idea of democracy, in democracies we can disagree, we can have different opinions but violence is absolutely unacceptable," Stoltenberg stated.
During the session, the NATO military committee credited Stoltenberg for his work for the alliance calling him 'general amongs generals' as Stoltenberg presumably attended meeting for the last time.
"You are a general amongst general and after debating which rank would suit you best, five stars or more, we have decided that you are a north star," Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee said.
On Wednesday evening, the PM was airlifted to hospital after being shot multiple times following a government meeting in Handlova. The alleged assailant was named in local media as 71-year-old Slovakian Juraj Cintula.
Initially he was reported to be in a 'life-threatening condition', while on Thursday morning, government officials and the hospital in Banska Bystrica reported that he had 'stabilised' but the situation remained 'serious'.
Also on Wednesday, Slovak Minister of Interior Matej Sutaj Estok claimed the country was 'on the edge of a civil war' and called for 'hateful comments' on social media networks to stop 'immediately', adding that early reports suggested a 'clear political motivation'.
59-year-old Fico was elected in September 2023, marking his fourth period as PM and ran on a campaign to end military support to Ukraine. He has opposed EU sanctions on Russia and the sending of arms to Kiev, saying the US and others should use their influence to bring about a peace deal.