Overview
Slovakian nationalism arose in the late 1800s, and after World War I ended, Slovakia merged with the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. But when the Czechs were forced to cede territory to the Nazis in World War II, Slovakia became separate again, albeit as a puppet state for the Nazis. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reunited and fell under Soviet influence. For the next four decades, communism ruled the country until the Velvet Revolution began in 1989. Protests eventually brought down the communist government and opened the way for Slovakia and the Czech Republic to part ways once again. Since then, Slovakia has incorporated many economic and political reforms that led it to join NATO and the European Union in 2004. In 2006, Robert Fico became prime minister and quickly made a name for himself when he stated publicly that he would never allow the United States to build a military base on Slovakian soil, unlike Poland had done. Slovakia has also dealt with the controversy of forced sterilization for Gypsy women, a practice that was commonplace under the Nazi regime.
Basic Information
Lay of the Land: Slovakia is bordered by Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine. Its land mass occupies an area approximately twice the size of New Hampshire. The terrain is mountainous in the north, with low mountains in the center, and hills to the west. The Danube River basin is found in the south of the country.
Population: 5.5 million
Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9%, Augsburg Lutherans 6.9%, Byzantine Catholics 4.1%, Reformed Christian Church 2%, Orthodox Christian 0.9%, Jehovah’s Witnesses 0.4%, other Christian (Baptist, Brethren, Seventh-day Adventist, Czechoslovak Husite) 0.5%, non-religious 14.4%.
Ethnic Groups: Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other 1.8%.
Languages: Slovak (official) 86.1%, Hungarian 9.1%, Romani (Vlax, Carpathian) 2.1%, Ukrainian 0.9%, Polish 0.9%, Rusyn/Ruthenian 0.9%, German 0.3%, Croatian.
History
Slovakia’s early history dates back to the Early Paleolithic Era. Archeological evidence, such as stone tools and human skeletons, show that the culture was trading with Mediterranean and Central European cultures very early on. By the Neolithic Era, the Slovakian culture transitioned to agriculture and became one of the hubs along the European trading routes.
The Roman Age began in 6 AD, when Roman Troops arrived in the region. The Kingdom of Vannius existed in western and central Slovakia from 20 to 50 AD, and the Romans shared the territory for a time. But by 174 AD, Marcus Aurelius instructed his troops to penetrate deeper into the country’s river valleys.
By the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the Huns began to leave the central Asian steppes and crossed the Danube to occupy Pannonia. This became one of their launching areas for looting raids in Western Europe. After the Huns, a proto-Mongol tribe, the Avars, invaded the Danube region, and established an empire that lasted until 623, when the Slavic population seceded.
Slovakian written history begins with the Great Moravian Empire, founded in the early 9th century. Its territory included western and central Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and parts of Poland, Hungary and Germany. During the 10th century, Saint Cyril sent missionaries to spread Christianity throughout the empire.
The empire lasted only 80 years. Repeated invasions from outside, as well as political machinations within, led Slovakia to become part of the Hungarian Kingdom for the next thousand years. In 1848, nationalist revolutions came to the region, as the Slovak language was codified and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy was formed, in 1867. As Hungarians moved toward Magyar customs, Slovaks became more fervently nationalistic. Many Slovakian intellectuals formed relationships with Czechs, who were ruled by the Austrians.
After World War I, the Czechs merged with Slovakians into a single state. In May 1918, Tomas Masaryk signed the Pittsburgh Agreement, finalizing this arrangement, and became the new nation’s president.
In 1938, Czechoslovakia was forced to cede territory to Germany. Slovakia declared its autonomy, but quickly became a Nazi puppet state led by Jozef Tiso. During this period, approximately 70,000 Slovak Jews were sent to concentration camps. The Roma people were also persecuted, but not deported by Slovaks. In 1944, the Slovak National Uprising tried to overthrow the Nazi government, but it was put down by German forces.
After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reunited and put under the influence of the Soviet Union. The communist party took power in February 1948, and the next four decades were characterized by strict communist rule, broken only briefly by the Prague Spring of 1968.
During the 1970s, a dissident movement began to grow. On January 1, 1977, more than 250 human rights activists signed a manifesto called Charter 77, criticizing the government for its human rights record. The “Candle Demonstration” was held in Bratislava in March 1988. It was organized by Roman Catholic groups looking for religious freedom in Czechoslovakia. It was put down brutally by the police.
On November 17, 1989, the Velvet Revolution began. This was a series of public protests that eventually led to the downfall of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Several dissident groups came together to form a transitional government until democratic elections could be held.
These elections were held in 1992, and Vladimir Meciar’s Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) emerged as the leading party in Slovakia. In June of that year, the Slovak parliament voted to declare sovereignty and dissolve the federation of Czechoslovakia. This occurred on January 1, 1993, and the HZDS ruled Slovakia for five years.
Mikulas Dzurinda, chairman of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU), came to power in 1998, and made many political and economic reforms that enabled Slovakia to enter the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which helped pave the way towards joining the European Union, and make the country a strong candidate for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The SDKU’s popularity declined over time and other political parties developed. In the September 2002 parliamentary elections, Dzurinda was re-elected to a second term. He formed a government with three other center-right parties, and devoted the government to improving Slovak performance in NATO and the EU. Over the next few years, the Slovakian government fought corruption, attracted foreign investment and reformed social services and the healthcare system. In 2003, the government lost its parliamentary majority, but the coalition remained relatively stable.
On March 29, 2004, Slovakia became a member of NATO, and joined the European Union on May 1, 2004.
On June 17, 2006, parliamentary elections resulted in Robert Fico becoming prime minister, leading a coalition of the populist party, Smer (“Direction”), the Slovak National Party (SNS), and the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS).
History of Slovakia (Wikipedia)
Slovakia (The Virtual Jewish History Tour)
History of U.S. Relations with Slovakia
The United States played a major role in the establishment of the original Czechoslovak state on October 28, 1918, with President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points serving as the basis for the union of the Czechs and Slovaks. Tomas Masaryk, father of the Czechoslovak state and its first president, visited the United States during World War I and used the US Constitution as a model for the first Czechoslovak Constitution.
Immigration from Slovakia to the US peaked between 1899 and 1918, when 480,201 Slovaks entered the US. Many of these were migrant workers, staying in the US only long enough to acquire money to buy property back home. For example, between 1908 and 1910, 80,797 Slovaks entered the US, while 41,726 left. The restrictive Immigration Act of 1924 only allowed immigrants from Western Europe, and effectively curtailed any further Slovaks from coming to America.
The fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1989 and the subsequent split of the two republics in 1993 allowed for renewed cooperation between the United States and Slovakia.
The 1990 census counted over a million Slovaks within the US; the apparent diminution may result from confusion over the existence of a category for both Czechoslovakian in addition to Slovak. Since most Slovaks arrived as unskilled laborers, they settled in industrial centers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.
Slovakia–United States relations (Wikipedia)
Current U.S. Relations with Slovakia
Noted Slovak-Americans
Chuck Bednarik – As a former professional American football player for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, Bednarik is known for being the "last of the 60-minute men."
Eugene Cernan – A retired United States Navy officer, Cernan was also a NASA astronaut involved in the Apollo program.
Angelina Jolie – The daughter of actor Jon Voight, Jolie is an actress, former fashion model and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency.
Peter Lorre – Most famously remembered for his roles portraying sinister characters, Lorre starred in the Mr. Moto detective series as well as many other films alongside Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet, including Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.
Steve McQueen – Nicknamed “The King of Cool,” McQueen was a movie actor noted for his “anti-hero” persona. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Sand Pebbles and was the highest paid movie star in the world in 1974. McQueen was also known as an avid car racer—often performing many of his own stunts in his movies.
Paul Newman – An actor, film director and humanitarian, Newman won many awards throughout the course of his career, including: an Academy Award in 1986, three Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among others. He was also the co-founder of the food company, Newman’s Own, which donates all post-tax profits to charity. Like Steve McQueen, Newman was car racing fan.
Tom Ridge—An American politician, Ridge was a member of the US House of Representative from 1983-1995, the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1995–2001, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001–2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–2005). Ridge has also served on the boards of many companies including The Home Depot, The Hershey Company and Exelon Corporation.
Tom Selleck – Most well known for his role as private investigator Thomas Magnum on the television show, Magnum P.I. Selleck has appeared in many other television shows, including Friends and Las Vegas.
Jesse Ventura – A former World Wrestling Federation wrestler, Ventura served as the Governor of Minnesota from 1999-2003 and is a television personality on the show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura.
Jon Voight – An Academy Award winning film and television actor, Voight is best known for his role in Midnight Cowboy. Voight is also the father of actors James Haven and Angelina Jolie.
Current relations between the US and Slovakia are cooperative. The United States has delivered more than $200 million in aid since 1990 to support the rebuilding of a healthy democracy and market economy in Slovakia, primarily through programs administered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Slovakia and the United States retain strong diplomatic ties and cooperate in the military and law enforcement areas. US Department of Defense programs have contributed significantly to Slovak military reforms.
Many Slovak officers have received training under the International Military Education and Training program. American and Slovak units have conducted joint military exercises. A unit with the Indiana National Guard is currently training with Slovakian soldiers at a local base. In 2009, the United States spent $1,026,000 in IMET funds on Slovakia.
Slovakia has a 100-soldier unit serving with the Multinational Division Central South, based in Hillah, Iraq. The Slovaks are engineers, de-miners and explosive ordnance disposal specialists, there to help remove the large number of unexploded bombs located throughout Iraq.
According to the U.S. State department website, “As of June 2009, Slovakia had just over 600 soldiers deployed worldwide, with more than one-third of the total serving in Afghanistan under NATO command. In 2008, 57% of deployed Slovak soldiers served under NATO command, 36% under the UN, and 7% under the EU. Defense spending was 1.4% of GDP in 2008.”
On November 18, 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico issued a joint statement that made public plans for Slovakia to add 250 additional NATO troups to Afghanistan. This would almost double the number of troops serving there—increasing from 246 to 494 soldiers.
As of Feburary 3, 2010, there were 319 Slovak troops stationed in Afghanistan for the purpose of guarding the Kandahar airport.
In the 2000 US census, 797,764 people identified themselves as being of Slovak ancestry.
In 2006, 29,569 Americans visited Slovakia. The number of visitors has fluctuated between a low of 25,382 (2002) and a high of 32,593 (2005) in recent years.
In 2006, 14,965 Slovaks came to the US. After a decline from 2002 (12,235 tourists) to 2003 (10,677 tourists), tourism has grown steadily.
Myers Promises Transformation Aid to Slovak Military (by Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service)
Background Note: Slovakia (U.S. State Department)
Where Does the Money Flow
In 2009, the United States exported $208.2 million and imported $623.2 million worth of goods through trade with Slovakia, leaving a negative current trade balance of n$415 million.. This is a decrease in trade from 2008, during which the US exported $547.5 million and imported $1.3 trillion from Slovakia.
US imports from Slovakia from 2006 to 2009 continued to be led by passenger cars, despite a decrease in value from $544.1 million to $232.2 million. US exports to Slovakia from 2006 to 2009 were led by metallurgical grade coal, which increased from $5.7 million in 2006, grew to $112.2 million in 2008 and dropped to $25.9 million in 2009.
Other top US imports from Slovakia between 2006 to 2009 included industrial engine, pumps, compressor and generators, increasing from $23.1 million to $29.4 million; miscellaneous industrial machinery, decreasing from $60.6 million to $51.7 million; and other computer accessories, peripherals and parts, rising from $21.9 million to $30.2 million; Furniture, household items, baskets remained relatively steady at $32.8 million in 2009, when compared to $35.8 million in 2008.
However, the US’s primary imports from Slovakia, passenger cars, continue to fall. Slovakia is one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers. Dubbed the “Detroit of Europe,” Slovakia manufactures brands such as Kia, Peugeot-Citroen, and Volkswagen, which at one point made the country the leading car producer in Europe. Although more than 400,000 vehicles were produced in 2009, car production in Slovakia has decreased by almost 20% since 2008. As a result, the current largest car producer in Europe is now the neighboring Czech Republic.
Among US exports to Slovakia, metallurgical grade coal has seen the sharpest increase, from $0 in 2005 to $25.9 million. Metallurgical grade coal is used in steel production, a necessary material to supplement Slovakia’s automobile manufacturing industry. Other major US exports to Slovakia include civilian aircraft, engines, equipment, and parts, which decreased from $211.2 million in 2006 to $25.9 million in 2009. Slovakia’s continued import of American aircraft components is largely dependent on the needs of Air Slovakia, which currently uses Boeing passenger aircraft.
Also, US exports included agricultural machinery and equipment which increased from $11.5 million in 2006 to $126 million in 2009 and industrial engines which increased from $1.8 million to $9.8 million.
The 2011 foreign aid budget request gave Slovakia $2.4 million in aid, all of it military, divided between Foreign Military Financing ($1.5 million) and IMET ($900,000). Both accounts fall under the US aid’s Peace and Security program. These programs are intended to facilitate improved interoperability with NATO, of which Slovakia is a member. Specific equipment to be purchased with the funds from FMF include: tactical communications equipment, night-vision devices, and handheld global positioning systems.
The US State Department justifies the aid given to Slovakia, by citing the need for Slovakia’s continued participation in NATO and the increase in numbers of Slovakia’s troops in Afghanistan.
Trade in Goods (Imports, Exports and Trade Balance) with Slovakia (US Census Bureau)
Congressional Budget for Foreign Operations (pages 436-438) (pdf)
Controversies
Slovak Prime Minister Raises Objection to US Military Bases
In the wake of the controversy with Russia over the building of a US military base in Poland, Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, said in March 2007 that he would never allow such a base on Slovak territory, sparking criticism. Instead, he said, his government would focus on EU relations, and would not be accountable to Washington. In recent months, Fico has made overtures to France, Portugal, China and Russia to maintain or develop relations. Fico has also been critical of the US-led war in Iraq, which he labeled “incredibly unjust and wrong.” He has vowed to remove Slovakian troops already in Iraq.
Slovakia: Steering Clear of the US (by Zoltán Dujisin, Inter Press Service)
Slovakia Sends Team to Investigate Forced Sterilizations
In March 2003, the New York Times reported that Slovakia’s Interior Ministry had agreed to send a special team of investigators to determine whether or not Gypsy (Roma) women in eastern Slovakia had been sterilized against their will. Two nongovernmental organizations, the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights and the Center for Civil and Human Rights, had issued a report alleging that at least 110 Gypsy women had been sterilized without their consent since the fall of communism in1989. During World War II, forced sterilization of Gypsies was government policy. Recent accounts claim Gypsy women are given blank papers to sign in hospitals and don’t know or understand what they are signing. Slovakian tabloids have speculated that the high birth rate of Gypsies could leave ethnic Slovaks outnumbered by 2060. Slovakian officials have threatened to sue the NGOs alleging the forced sterilizations, saying that if the allegations are false, they could be prosecuted for spreading false rumors damaging to the country’s good name.
Slovakia to Investigate Charges Gypsy Women Were Sterilized (by Peter S. Green, New York Times)
Human Rights
According to the State Department, “Notable human rights problems included some continuing reports of police mistreatment of Romani suspects and lengthy pretrial detention; restrictions on freedom of religion; concerns about the integrity of the judiciary, corruption in national government, local government, and government health services; violence against women and children; trafficking in women and children; and societal discrimination and violence against Roma and other minorities.”
Overcrowding in prisons continues to be a problem. Although the government allowed visits by independent human rights observers, these groups were concerned that no single independent group or NGO regularly monitored prison conditions in Slovakia.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) continued to make complaints about the mistreatment of Romani suspects by Slovakian police officers during the period of arrest and custody. In 2008, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) released an inspection report that identified allegations of mistreatment of detainees and Roma victims in particular. The CPT again visited from March 24 to April 2, 2009, and concluded that there was some improvement in these issues.
Problems with corruption and inefficiency in the judiciary continued, despite a series of reforms implemented in 2005 and 2006 by the Ministry of Justice to decrease corruption and improve efficiency.
Two forced sterilization civil suits were still pending, with no significant action taken during 2007. In one case, three Romani women claimed that they were sterilized without informed consent. In the second case, eight Romani women who suspected they had been sterilized without their knowledge filed a case when hospitals allegedly denied them access to their own medical records. Four of the women subsequently received access to their medical files, and at least one discovered she had been sterilized. As a result, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) continues to encourage the government to fully investigate encroachments of human rights, such as those pertaining to the non-consensual sterilization of Romani women and enforcement of the 2004 Healthcare Act. As of 2009, No victims of involuntary sterilization or sterilization without informed consent have received financial redress through the country's court system.
Although the law provides for an independent judiciary, this branch of government faces many issue of corruption, official intimidation of judges, inefficiency, and a lack of accountability. In some instances the judiciary was subject to high-level influence and pressure by the government.
According the US State Department report, an open statement was issued called “Five Sentences” and, “On September 15, 2009 105 judges sent a letter to the president, prime minister, the chairman of the National Council, the minister of justice, and the Judicial Council protesting the improper use of disciplinary panels against independent judges. The letter stated that the disciplinary sanctions applied to critics of Harabin were nontransparent, inconsistent, and threatened the independence of the judiciary. The judges had not received a response at year's end.”
State-owned television and wire services were subject to political influence by the government. There were reports that newly appointed directors of Slovak Public Television exerted pressure in the news department to provide favorable coverage of governing coalition events and activities, leading to the departure of several reporters and editors.
In addition, members of the government, judiciary, and political elites targeted the press in a number of civil defamation lawsuits— many of which resulted in the press having to pay large amounts of money. The International Press Institute and other observers are concerned that this financial risk may result to self-censorship in the future. One such case included a libel suit launched by Prime Minister Robert Fico against the publisher of the weekly Trend. The suit was won by Fico in April over the 2007 cover story "Thief of Your Future Pensions." A judge ordered the publisher to pay Fico 8,000 euros ($11,400) in damages and to publish an apology.
Police monitored websites hosting hate speech and attempted to arrest or fine the authors. According to the US State Department, “The [Slovak] law defines hate speech as speech that publicly threatens an individual or group based on nationality, ethnicity, race, skin color, or that publicly incites the restriction of rights and freedoms of such an individual or group.”
An amendment to the religious registration law discriminated against smaller religious groups. There were reports of societal violence and discrimination against religious groups.
Organized neo-Nazi groups, estimated to have 500 active members and several thousand additional sympathizers, promoted anti-Semitism. These groups also harassed and attacked other minorities, including Roma.
The government did not always implement anti-corruption laws effectively, and officials sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. The World Bank’s worldwide governance indicators reflected that corruption was a problem, and cases of corruption were reported in the legislative and executive branches. The Special Court convicted numerous health care workers for taking bribes. NGOs reported several instances of corruption by high-ranking ministerial appointees. But the Ministry of Interior did not investigate any of these alleged corrupt activities.
Although the government enforced the law effectively, rape was a problem and was underreported. Domestic violence against women also continued to be a problem. It was pervasive, and activists claimed that the government did not enforce the law effectively. The government took no action during the year to combat sexual harassment.
Child abuse remained an underreported problem. Child prostitution is prohibited, but according to the UN, it remained a problem in Romani settlements with the worst living conditions.
There were reports that women and children were trafficked from, within, and through the country. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that between 150 and 200 persons were trafficked from or through the country during 2007, mainly for the purpose of sexual exploitation. There were isolated reports that children were forced into prostitution.
NGOs reported deficiencies in psychiatric care of patients with mental disorders and in mechanisms to monitor human rights violations against them. Psychiatric institutions and hospitals, which fall under the purview of the Ministry of Health, continued to use cage beds. The law prohibits both physical and nonphysical restraints in social care homes, managed by the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Family.
Discrimination and societal violence against Roma and individuals of non-European ethnicity was common, and the number of violent attacks on foreign students and visitors increased during the year. Racially motivated attacks on minorities—Romani and otherwise—were reported widely throughout the year. Roma were particularly singled out for violence, and police detained numerous individuals for attacks against Roma motivated by racial hatred. There were also reports that police mistreated Roma. Skinhead and neo-Nazi violence against Roma and other minorities continued to be a serious problem. Widespread discrimination against Roma continued in the areas of employment, education, health services, housing, and loan practices.
Local authorities and groups forced evictions of Romani inhabitants or blocked construction permits or the purchase of land. Many Romani settlements lacked formal infrastructure, access to clean water, and proper sewage systems.
The US Department of State Human Rights Report reported one particular instance of ethnic tension in October 2009, where the local government of Ostrovany, “paid 13,000 euros (approximately $18,600) to construct a concrete wall to "protect" the houses, land, and gardens of non-Roma citizens from the "Roma raids" that allegedly originated in the town's Roma settlement.” These actions have been criticized as supporting segregation between non-Roma and Roma citizens.
In June 2009, the Ministry of Justice finally settled all legally justified applications for compensation to Holocaust victims. In 2004, the Central Union of Jewish Religious Communities had submitted a list of applicants to the ministry. In total, the ministry paid 411,000 euros ($588,000) in compensation to the families and descendents of Holocaust victims. This settlement was meant to be a symbolic payment for the suffering of survivors. This settlement is separate from compensation for property loss.
Past Ambassadors
Note: The United States recognized the Slovak Republic as an independent state and established diplomatic relations with it on Jan 1, 1993. Embassy Bratislava was established Jan 4, 1993, with Paul Hacker as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.
Theodore E. Russell
Appointment: Nov 22, 1993
Presentation of Credentials: Dec 16, 1993
Termination of Mission: Left post Mar. 29, 1996
Appointment: Nov 22, 1993
Presentation of Credentials: Dec 16, 1993
Termination of Mission: Left post Mar. 29, 1996
Ralph R. Johnson
Appointment: Jan 18, 1996
Presentation of Credentials: Apr 4, 1996
Termination of Mission: Left post May 21, 1999
Appointment: Jan 18, 1996
Presentation of Credentials: Apr 4, 1996
Termination of Mission: Left post May 21, 1999
Carl Spielvogel
Appointment: Aug 3, 2000
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 7, 2000
Termination of Mission: Left post Apr 15, 2001
Note: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; a later nomination of Sep 28, 2000, was not acted upon by the Senate.
Appointment: Aug 3, 2000
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 7, 2000
Termination of Mission: Left post Apr 15, 2001
Note: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; a later nomination of Sep 28, 2000, was not acted upon by the Senate.
Ronald Weiser
Appointment: Nov 26, 2001
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 5, 2002
Termination of Mission: Left post Dec 19, 2004
Appointment: Nov 26, 2001
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 5, 2002
Termination of Mission: Left post Dec 19, 2004
Rodolphe M. Vallee
Appointment: Jun 21, 2005
Presentation of Credentials: Aug 23, 2005
Termination of Mission: Left post, Dec 5, 2007
Appointment: Jun 21, 2005
Presentation of Credentials: Aug 23, 2005
Termination of Mission: Left post, Dec 5, 2007
Vincent Obsitnik
Appointment: Oct 29, 2007
Presentation of Credentials: Dec 12, 2007
Termination of Mission: January 20, 2009
Appointment: Oct 29, 2007
Presentation of Credentials: Dec 12, 2007
Termination of Mission: January 20, 2009
Slovakia's Ambassador to the U.S.
Kmec, Peter
The european nation of Slovakia—which this year celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its independence from the former Czechoslovakia—sent a new ambassador to the U.S. in September 2012, an experienced diplomat who had served in the U.S. before. Peter Kmec presented his credentials to President Barack Obama on September 19, succeeding Peter Burian, who had been Bratislava's man in Washington since 2008.
Born circa 1964, Peter Kmec earned a graduate degree in International Relations and Affairs at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1990, and a degree in International Law and Legal Studies at Comenius University in Bratislava the same year.
Immediately joining the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia, Kmec served from 1990 to 1991 in its Department of International Economic Relations in Prague (now part of the Czech Republic), and in 1992 served as an advisor to the chairman of the Chamber of Nations of the Czechoslovak Federal Assembly.
After Slovakia became independent on January 1, 1993, Kmec joined the newly formed Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, serving as Second Secretary with the Slovak Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria, from 1993 to 1997.
After serving as deputy director in the Department of Security Policy at the Slovakian Foreign Ministry in Bratislava from 1997 to 1998, Kmec served as political counselor on another OSCE mission, this one to Georgia, from 1998 to 1999. Returning to Bratislava, he served as deputy chief of the Foreign Minister’s cabinet from 1999 to 2000.
Kmec spent the first half of the new century's first decade as the number two man at two key embassies, serving as deputy chief of mission at Slovakia's embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, from 2000 to 2002, and holding the same title at Slovakia's embassy in Washington, DC, from 2003 to 2005. Although this was Kmec's first official posting to the U.S., in 1992 he attended a study program at the Library of Congress as part of the Frost Task Force on Parliamentary Development.
Back in Bratislava, Kmec served as chief of the Foreign Minister’s cabinet from 2005 to 2007.
Kmec was appointed to his first ambassadorship in 2007, serving as Slovakia's ambassador to Sweden from August 2007 to July 2012.
Peter Kmec speaks English and Russian. He is married to Monika Kmecová and has two children, Lucia and Adam.
- Table of Contents
- News
- Overview
- Basic Information
- History
- Newspapers
- History of U.S. Relations with Slovakia
- Current U.S. Relations with Slovakia
- Where Does the Money Flow
- Controversies
- Human Rights
- Debate
- Past Ambassadors
- Ambassador to the U.S.
- Embassy Web Site in the U.S.
- Comments
- Leave a comment
U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia
Sedgwick, Theodore
A business executive from the publishing and timber industries, Theodore “Tod” Sedgwick has no experience as a foreign diplomat. But the chosen ambassador to
Slovakiahas donated substantially to Democratic candidates, especially to President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Sedgwick was officially sworn in on July 28, 2010, although he had already taken the oath of office on his front porch on Martha’s Vineyard on July 4.
Sedgwick is the great-great-grandson of Theodore Sedgwick (1746-1813), a member of the Continental Congress who served in the U.S. House and Senate. His grandfather, Ellery Sedgwick, Sr., was editor and publisher of Atlantic Monthly magazine. His father, Ellery Sedgwick, Jr., was a naval intelligence officer during the D-Day invasion and his uncle, William Ross Bond, was a brigadier general who was killed in the Vietnam War. He is also a distant cousin of actress Kyra Sedgwick.
After growing up in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, Tod Sedgwick graduated from Harvard College, cum laude, in 1971, majoring in Ottoman history. After traveling in India, he took a job with a small newspaper in Huntington, West Virginia.
In 1978, at the age of 29, Sedgwick was editing the energy sector newsletter Coal Outlook. When the owner decided to sell the publication, Sedgwick bought a 70% stake for $70,000. The newsletter was the first piece of what eventually became Pasha Publications (named after his dog), a publishing house with 22 insider newsletters specializing in the energy, defense and environment markets.
In 1998, Sedgwick sold the energy wing of the publisher to the Financial Times group for $17.8 million. He kept three newsletters—the Bird Hunting Report. Business Mailers Review and Synthesis, which was aimed at Episcopal ministers who needed help improving their sermons—and started a company named Sedgwick Publications, although he unofficially called it Wing and Prayer Publishing.
In 2002, he founded Io Energy, an online energy information company covering the natural gas, coal and electricity industries, which he sold two years later, and was president of Red Hills Lumber Co., a producer of pine flooring.
Sedgwick has served on a number of private company boards, including Inside Higher Ed, Atlantic Information Services, and Washington Business Information Inc. He also has served on the boards of cultural institutions such as the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Shakespeare Theater Co. and The Gennadius Library in Athens, Greece, and on the boards of land preservation organizations, including the Civil War Preservation Trust, which he chaired from 2006 to2009, and Wetlands America Trust, an affiliate of Ducks Unlimited. He was on the National Council of the Land Trust Alliance, and is a member of the Chief Executives Organization, an organization of global business leaders.
Sedgwick bundled more than $200,000 for the Obama campaign. In addition, he contributed $42,416 of his own money to Democrats in the 2008 cycle and another $10,000 for Barack Obama’s inauguration. An enthusiastic bird hunter, Sedgwick tried to organize Sportsmen for Obama as a counterweight to the Republican–leaning National Rifle Association.
Sedgwick and his wife, Kate, have two daughters.
New Ambassador Takes Oath On Vineyard Haven Front Porch (by Peter Brannen, Vineyard Gazette)
Six Degrees of Kyra Sedgwick (by Laurie Bennett, Muckety)
New US Ambassador: Hunter, Publisher, Obama Fundraiser (by Tom Nicholson, Slovak Spectator)
more
Previous U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia
Eddins, Keith
A native of Mississippi, Keith A. Eddins has served as the US Chargé d'Affaires to Slovakia since August 2, 2008. Eddins attended the University of Virginia and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1980. He later earned a Master of Arts from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He has studied Slovak, Czech, Russian, French and Spanish.
A career Foreign Service Officer, Eddins’ first State Department assignment was at the American Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he served as a vice consul and political officer. He then returned to Washington, where he was a watch officer in the Operations Center, a staff office in the Executive Secretariat, and a special assistant to then-Secretary of State George P. Shultz.
His subsequent career has focused primarily on European political and security issues. He served as a political officer at the US Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, at the American Embassy in Moscow, and at the American Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic.
In Washington, Eddins worked on the State Department’s Russia Desk, in the European Bureau’s NATO affairs office, and as Senior Civil-Military Advisor to the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. He has also served on board of examiners of the Foreign Service, and as Director of Political Training at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.
Eddins has donated $2,250 to various Democratic candidates and organizations, including Barack Obama and the Democratic Congressional Committee.
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