The US Embassy is expected to leave Hviezdoslavovo Square. (source: SME)
In the protracted dispute surrounding the ugly fence around the US Embassy in Bratislava, city councillor Martin Borguľa has sent a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump, informing him about the current situation with the security fence.
The disputed fence is currently an illegal construction, as the lease of the embassy expired on August 15, the SITA newswire wrote on November 21. Since the US Embassy has lost the right to use the area, it unlawfully uses the public space, Borguľa argued. With his letter, the councillor wants to point to the fact that despite several warnings and protests the embassy has not made steps to remove the fence. Borguľa deems this an illegal occupation of public space and unprecedented disrespect for the laws of the Slovak republic.
He adds that he mostly wanted to point to the fact that US Embassy in Slovakia has made no steps so far to remove the fence from the Hviezdoslavovo Square. The letter was also signed by city councillor for the borough of Lamač, Radoslav Olekšák.
Bratislava councillors decided at the September city session that the fence should disappear from the square in downtown Bratislava. The city office decided inn June that the embassy shall pay a rent of €3 per square meter for one day – for the next three years, meaning €481,000 a year. The addendum to the contract should have been valid if it was delivered approved and signed back to the city office within 60 days. The embassy, however, missed the deadline of August 15 when the previous rental contract expired.
The US Embassy argues in its statement that when filing the request for prolongation of the rent, they followed the written instruction of the city of Bratislava. And even currently, they are in contact with the city representatives, trying to solve the issue. The embassy plans to move to a different location, and this should last for three or four more years.
