Culture Minister Natalia Milanova accepted the resignation of Slovak National Theatre general director Matej Drlicka after he had offered it to her over statements he had made during a panel discussion at a conference in Budapest. Drlicka conceded that his statements were inappropriate. The statements were made in English during Thursday's discussion on culture and politics in Budapest on October 20th. "My state of mind at the moment led me to use politically incorrect language, more expressive than would have been appropriate... I feel sorry for my statements because they don't correspond to the way I would speak in Slovak under normal circumstances," claimed Drlicka. He extended an apology to everyone who might be offended and stated that he was ready to assume full responsibility. Earlier in the day, he took flak from lawmakers on the House Committee for Culture over his statements. Their stance was signed by MPs across the political spectrum. "We find as especially undignified and scurrilous his (Drlicka's) mocking statements about the "national artists" involved with the Slovak National Theatre troupes as "being probably the most important people in Slovakia". His statements about politicians who meet their constitutional duties, to whom he referred as "unfortunately, they're still breathing", are unacceptable and beyond the pale," wrote the lawmakers.
Source: TASR
