THE US Embassy will move from Hviezdoslavovo Square in the centre of Bratislava in 24 months, as the US State Department wants to construct a new building for it and has already launched activities to that effect, Embassy press attaché Janelle Luna told TASR on November 6.
“The State Department has made the decision because the current Embassy building doesn’t meet the security requirements set by Congress for US diplomatic missions abroad,” Luna said back in May, as quoted by TASR.
The Embassy has been in a dispute with the Bratislava city authorities, which criticised the security fence around the building, claiming that it spoils the look of the square. The fence is located on a plot owned by the city.
The original rental contract should have expired in February 2015, but the city council decided to extend it by another 18 months. Nevertheless, as the Embassy expects that the new building may be completed only in five or six years, the fence will most probably remain in place, according to TASR.
According to Luna, the Embassy is still looking for a plot for the new building. It should have an area of at least 1.6 hectares, should be located in the city centre and should have good infrastructure connections.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
