Parliamentary Chairman Meets over 50 Diplomats at Bratislava Castle
Bratislava, January 18 (TASR) – After 25 years of independence, Slovakia is able to appreciate even more the attitude taken by other countries towards it at a time when it needed help and protection the most, said Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS) in the speech he delivered at a New Year’s banquet that he organised at Bratislava Castle for the diplomatic corps accredited in Slovakia.
The ceremonial event, which was also held in honour of the 25th anniversary of the setting up of an independent Slovakia, was attended by over 50 diplomats from all over the world. Danko in his speech stressed that the peaceful division of the Czecho-Slovak Federation is also viewed as a symbol of the cultural and political maturity of Slovaks and Czechs in the contemporary world.
“I’m sincerely grateful for the friendly hand offered to us by the international community at the time when Slovak statehood was being born,” said Danko. He stated that relations between parliaments have been improved partly thanks to the work of diplomats. “We witness various pointless manipulations that often end in gross misunderstandings on the international scene. Mutual communication strengthens trust between partners and is the best way to improve our relationship,” said Danko in praise of the job done by diplomats.
The setting up of the Slovak Republic wasn’t only a key event in its history, but the peaceful split of the former Czechoslovakia represented a significant event in Europe as well, stated Apostolic Nuncio Giacomo Ottonello, a doyen of the diplomatic corps, in his speech.
The nuncio told the parliamentary chairman that the conduct of his post is a service to the public in favour of the common good. “The public expects you to take care of its interests and meet its expectations in the area of civil and social lives. This role is even more challenging today, as it has turned into a global challenge that requires from you the attitude of a man as a human being and the attitude of a politician,” said Ottonello.
