Eleven Slovak diplomats are expected to complete their missions in the near future, with nine new ambassadors expected to head Slovakia's embassies abroad, according to a set of proposals approved by the government on June 29, the TASR newswire reported.
"The reasons are various," commented Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda, who said that in one case he decided to withdraw an ambassador because the person had been in the post for too long.
"Four years is the standard length, with three to five years being common practice," he told TASR, adding that longer stays abroad seem to indicate a certain "danger" that diplomats have "fallen in love" with the countries in which they work at the expense of their home country.
Currently, there are three Slovak diplomats who have been working as ambassadors abroad for more than six years – Miroslav Mojžita (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Milan Lajčiak (Malaysia) and Dušan Rozbora (Norway). When asked which of the three will be withdrawn, Dzurinda avoided an answer, saying that if he told this to the media he would violate diplomatic conduct.
He stated that changes in the posts are necessary in order to improve the quality of Slovakia's diplomatic corps. Dzurinda told the SITA newswire that he would publish the names of returning ambassadors "when the process of approval will be legitimate; when the decision on accepting candidates for ambassadors who will replace the withdrawn ambassadors will be made."
Source: TASR, SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
