Bilateral relations and the continued presence of the Slovak ISAF contingent in Afghanistan were discussed at a meeting between Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič and US Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick on February 8, Gašparovič's spokesman Marek Trubač told the TASR newswire.
"The president confirmed that Slovakia is determined to continue fulfilling its commitments as part of NATO's ISAF operation in Afghanistan and any major political decisions as to the future nature of the operation will be up to the future Slovak government," Trubač stated.
Sedgwick updated the president on the new US defence strategy. At his meeting with Prime Minister Iveta Radičová in January Sedgwick said that although the new defence strategy shifts focus to the Pacific region, the importance of cooperation with Europe continues to be high.
At the meeting with Gašparovič, Sedgwick also expressed his appreciation for Major Roland Bartakovics and the entire Slovak Explosive Ordinance Disposal team in Afghanistan for their hard work and bravery in Kandahar.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
