New Slovak ambassador to arrive in Belarus in late August

• 11.08.2008, 17:15

Marian Servatka, Slovakia’s newly appointed ambassador to Belarus, will arrive in the country in late August to enter upon his duties, an officer at the Slovak embassy in Minsk told BelaPAN.

“The ambassador came to Minsk on July 1. He is now on holiday and will return at the end of the month,” the officer said.

Mr. Servatka, 56, served as the Slovak ambassador to Poland and a presidential advisor in the past.

The Slovak diplomatic mission had been headed by Charge d’Affaires Lubomir Rehak prior to the appointment of Mr. Servatka, who became Slovakia’s first ambassador to Belarus.

In an interview given to BelaPAN before leaving the country in late June, Mr. Rehak expressed hope that Bratislava’s move to raise the level of its diplomatic presence in Belarus “will contribute to the improvement of bilateral relations.”

“This is the first time that Slovakia has appointed an ambassador to Belarus, who will permanently work in Minsk,” Mr. Rehak said. “This decision may seem risky, considering the fact that Belarus is a country where ambassadors are sometimes thrown out. But we made this step in a hope that it would help improve our bilateral ties and also in the context of relations between Belarus and the European Union.”

Mr. Rehak described the ambassador as an “experienced” diplomat.