President Andrej Kiska on Wednesday appointed Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matečná (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) as the fourth deputy prime minister within the Cabinet, joining Robert Kaliňák, Peter Pellegrini (both Smer-SD) and Lucia Žitňanská (Most-Hid). "It may be a historic moment that for the first time since the inception of the Slovak Republic, since 1993, a deputy prime minister an agriculture and rural development minister. It's certainly a pleasure for us, and perhaps for the ministry because I'll definitely be able to move issues such as land, consumers, the protection of animals and forests and agriculture-related topics to a higher level," stated Matečná at a briefing following her appointment.
Gavin Shoebridge, Photo: TASR
