President Appoints Five New Slovak Ambassadors

Bratislava, January 16 (TASR) - President Zuzana Caputova on Tuesday handed over credentials to five new Slovak ambassadors, namely Katarina Tomkova, Juraj Podhorsky, Ivan Surkos, Marek Repovsky and Michal Pavuk. Tomkova will head the Slovak diplomatic mission in Brazil and five other countries. According to the president, Brazil is Slovakia's most important partner in South America. Meanwhile, Podhorsky will operate as Slovak ambassador in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Caputova noted in this vein that the Netherlands is an important investor in Slovakia, and the two countries are also connected thanks to a growing Slovak student community in the Netherlands. As for Surkos, he'll head the diplomatic mission in Japan and fifteen other countries. The president told him to try to take advantage of Japan's leading position in terms of spending on science and research by intensifying Slovak dialogue in this area. According to the president, a partnership between Slovakia and Japan based on common values is crucial at a time of growing geopolitical turmoil in Asia. Repovsky will head to South Korea, with Caputova calling the country a key economic partner and investor for Slovakia. Last but not least, Pavuk will operate in Serbia. According to the president, he's leaving with a great knowledge of the region and work in European institutions. "I believe that in this way we can help Serbia to encourage its reform efforts and dispel doubts about its [EU] integration efforts," she remarked. zel/df