President Presents Credentials to Eight New Ambassadors

Bratislava, 30 June (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini handed over credentials to eight heads of diplomatic missions in Europe, Africa and Asia at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Monday. Elchin Gasymov (Azerbaijan), Milan Lajciak (China), Juraj Sivacek (Iran), Maros Mitrik (Kenya), Pavol Pavlis (Hungary), Iveta Hricova (North Macedonia), Sona Budayova (Switzerland) and Alexander Micovcin (Thailand) will represent the Slovak Republic in the post of ambassadors. The president stressed that the current developments in the world require a more proactive approach in the foreign service. "Europe, however, remains our fundamental living space. All our actions must clearly reflect that Slovakia is part of the community of democratic states," emphasised Pellegrini. At the same time, however, he also appealed to the fact that more attention should be paid to states that are not at the centre of our diplomacy, namely countries in Asia or Africa, as their political and economic importance is constantly growing. am/mcs