Estok Respects Changes at Investment Ministry Helm, Thanks Rasi for His Work

Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - The coalition Voice-SD party respects the fact that the leadership of the Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation Ministry will be filled by Smer-SD nominees, party leader Matus Sutaj Estok stated on Wednesday, adding that Voice-SD has done everything it can to ensure that the coalition will have a stable majority. Sutaj Estok thanked outgoing Investment Minister Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) for his work, pointing out that he is now set to become the House chair. He believes that the political situation will calm down completely after his election. The Voice-SD chair also highlighted several moves taken by Rasi at the ministry, praising him for announcing almost 275 calls during his tenure and managing to spend more than €700 million because of the measures he has taken. He stated that his predecessors launched only five calls in three years and failed to spend a single euro. According to Sutaj Estok, Rasi managed to kick-start the ministry, which he took over in a bad condition. "It was necessary to immediately draw funds from the ending programme period and restore the trust of mayors, who were not treated as partners by the previous government but as an obstacle that was systematically circumvented and ignored. Along with his team, he managed to draw €2 billion in two months," he added. Rasi is to be succeeded as investment minister by Samuel Migal, who until now has served as an Independent MP after being expelled from the Voice-SD parliamentary caucus. He is to become the head of the ministry based on an agreement that he signed with Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD). am/df