President presents Slovak counterpart with state honor

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić arrived on an official visit to Slovakia and met with the country's President Ivan Gašparovič on Tuesday.

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President presents Slovak counterpart with state honor

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić arrived on an official visit to Slovakia and met with the country's President Ivan Gašparovič on Tuesday.

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Tomislav Nikolić (left) and Ivan Gašparovič (Tanjug)

Nikolić, who leads a state delegation to Bratislava, was received at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava with honors rendered by the country's honor guard during the playing of the two countries' national anthems.

The Serbian president wrote in the Slovakian president's guestbook:

“Our two Slavic countries share a long tradition of friendship and cooperation. There are numerous examples of our connections throughout history. The national minority communities of Slovaks in Serbia and of Serbs in Slovakia are the bridge that connects and strengthens the friendship and excellent relationship between our two countries. I therefore expect these relations to further improve, to the benefit of the citizens of our countries, Europe and the world.”

During the meeting at the Presidential Palace, Nikolić presented Gašparovič with the Order of the Republic of Serbia, Second Class, which is the country's highest decoration, given to heads of state or government.

Gašparovič received the recognition for his contribution in the development of peaceful cooperation and friendly relations between Serbia and Slovakia.

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After the meeting between Nikolić and Gašparovič, Serbian and Slovak delegations will hold a plenary meeting and sign a road transportation agreement. The document will be signed by Serbia's and Slovakia's foreign ministers, Ivan Mrkić and Miroslav Lajčak.

Nikolić will attend an exhibition of paintings by Serb painter Sava Stojkov put on at the Presidential Palace.

The Serbian president is scheduled to meet with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčak, and should also have meetings with a group of Slovakian businessmen and representatives of the Serb diaspora in that country.

This is Nikolić's first official visit to Slovakia, but Nikolić and Gašparovič already met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September.

Besides Nikolić, the Serbian delegation is comprised of Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić, Serbian ambassador in Bratislava Radmila Hrustanović, Advisers to the Serbian president Marko Đurić and Jasmina Mitrović-Mari, and deputy head of the president's press office Vuk Fatić.

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