Gov't to Declare Gotion InoBat Batteries Facility Strategic Investment

Bratislava, February 26 (TASR) - The government will declare the project of Gotion InoBat Batteries near Surany (Nitra region) a strategic investment next week, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced after his talks with company representatives at Government Office on Wednesday. The construction works are slated to begin as of late April. "We want to declare this investment as strategic at a session of the government next week. This means that we'll be able to use various advantages conferred by the Strategic Investments Act to the Government of the Slovak Republic," stated Fico, adding that the investment in question is worth €1.2 billion. "I hope I won't reveal anything undue when I say there was a certain delay, but we've already fixed the timetable with contractual addendums. It was with great pleasure that I received news that the last contract regarding the land acquisition was signed and so we'll be able to hand over the plot of land to the investor," underlined the Prime Minister. "I thanked the Chinese colleagues for their excellent cooperation. I'm also happy that we managed to impress upon the inhabitants of Surany and the vicinity the importance of this investment. I understand that the people might still have some questions, but we're here to answer them. Slovakia, however, needs such a company to manufacture electric car batteries, about this there can be absolutely no doubt," said Fico. According to Fico, representatives of Gotion claimed that in comparison to other countries, Slovakia managed to make some decisions significantly faster than some other European states. The recent visit to China by Slovak government members has considerably advanced ties between Bratislava and Beijing. "We really care about making this investment successful because it can serve as a fantastic reference to other investors, when it comes to China and Slovakia," added Fico. mf/mcs