PS Points to Layoffs of Diplomats at Foreign Affairs Ministry

Bratislava, October 18 (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party on Friday claimed that the Foreign Affairs Ministry is preparing to lay off a number of experienced diplomats, with PS MP Tomas Valasek announcing that he intends to initiate a special session of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee to address the matter. According to the Valasek, the first wave of "purges" took place at the ministry after Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) took office. "It was in the form of de facto forced resignations. Experienced people, seasoned ambassadors with a former minister and high-ranking Slovak in an international institution among them, simply don't have their contracts for their postings extended, or after returning from a posting to the ministry, they are offered a position at the lowest possible level with zero prospects for career growth. They very quickly realise that they are unwanted," Valasek explained. The MP pointed out that such redundancies at the ministry could be explained by the implementation of a reform, but no audit or reform is underway, to his knowledge. Valasek stated that the redundancies at the ministry are not even part of the ongoing consolidation of public finances, as the funds saved will be minimal. In his opinion, this isn't even the case of replacing one generation of diplomats with a younger one. PS leader Michal Simecka (PS) said in this vein that dismissals of this kind aren't a rare phenomenon at ministries, adding that similar cases have taken place at the Culture and Environment Ministries. "It's a systematic firing of people who have worked there for years, who are top experts in their areas, replacing them with people who lack expertise and experience, and are hired only because they are friends of politicians," he opined. zel/mcs