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New U.S. Ambassador Looking Forward to Co-operation With New Gov't
Wednesday 18 August 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, August 18 (TASR) - Newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick, who presented his credentials to Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic on Wednesday, views the development of American-Slovak relations as one of his priorities in office.
In an interview with TASR, the nominee of U.S. President Barack Obama praised Slovakia's economic success, noting that the country has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. He mentioned the good bilateral relations between the two countries as well as the importance of multilateral co-operation at an international level.
The new U.S. ambassador said that he is inspired by the fact that he is taking up his post at a time when a new Slovak Government has been appointed. He's looking forward to co-operation in all areas, taking advantage of the fact that the Slovak Government's priorities are similar to the priorities on the Embassy's agenda.
"I would like to discuss everything with Slovak politicians," said Sedgwick, who noted that although Slovakia has a different opinion on the issue of independence for Kosovo, the U.S.A. and Slovakia have a common goal - peace and stability in the Balkan region. Sedgwick stated that Slovakia plays a significant role in these efforts, as well as in supporting Serbia's efforts to join the EU. He pointed to the part played in the Balkans by Slovak diplomacy, which applies its knowledge to help resolve problems.
Sedgwick said that he already had some picture of Slovakia in his mind thanks to the Slovak community in Ohio, where he grew up. He mentioned the statue of Milan Rastislav Stefanik in Cleveland, where he used to live, as well as ice-hockey player Peter Bondra.
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