President Zuzana Čaputová handed over letters of credence to two new ambassadors of the Slovak Republic on Tuesday 13 April 2021.
Oksana Tomová will be the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Slovak Republic and head of the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and Karla Wursterová will be the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Slovak Republic in Italy, the Republic of Malta and the Republic of San Marino in Rome.
The president believes that during their service abroad the ambassadors will spread the good name of Slovakia, promote our interests and particularly defend the values that are important to us, namely freedom, democracy, tolerance, rule of law, a plural civil society and international law. She also hopes that their appointment will become an inspiration to other women to work in our diplomatic services and help to defend the interests of Slovakia.
According to the president, Slovakia has friendly relations with Italy on the government level and among our citizens. “Italy, like our country, has been strongly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. In the upcoming years the European economies will recover from the damage caused by this pandemic. Italy will be the greatest recipient of funds from the European Recovery Plan, which will also provide us with the opportunity to build a more modern, just and greener Slovakia. Italy’s experience with the implementation of this plan could be also inspirational for our country. Therefore, I would appreciate if you could closely monitor this agenda during your service.”
According to the president, the Council of Europe is an important platform for addressing challenges such as the growth of extremist hatred in online and offline space, disrespect for the principles of the rule of law and continuing military conflicts in the European space. "Slovakia cares about strengthening democracy and the rule of law. And it is important that we will seen this way also at the Council of Europe. I personally want to contribute to this effort by visiting this organization when the situation allows it.”