President of the Republic receives credentials from Slovakia Ambassador

The Head of State, Dr. José Ramos-Horta, receive today the credentials from the Ambassador of Slovakia, Dr. Stefan Rozkopal, in a ceremony held at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace, in Díli.

Dr. Ramos-Horta hailed the “exceptional bilateral relations” between Timor-Leste and Slovakia, which separated from Czechoslovakia in 1992 trough “a pacific transition” remembered as “a tremendous achievement” at the time.

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate praised his personal dear friend Dr. Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic.

The President highlighted the “need to deepen bilateral relations”, while speaking about the double-digit national economic growth in 2007 and 2008, increasing to eight percent in 2009; “a figure sustainable for the next years”, His Excellency said.

“The Government – of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão – is determined to pursue investment in infrastructure such as a new airport, a port, roads and electricity supply”, added Dr. Ramos-Horta. He insisted on the imperative of “eradicating poverty and illiteracy, in peace and stability”.

Dr. Ramos-Horta sent his regards to President Milan Kucan, to the Government and to the People of Slovakia.

The Slovakia Ambassador, Dr. Stefan Rozkopal, previously worked in Indonesia from 1996 to 2000 as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge D’Affairs at the Embassy of his country. He is considered an expert on South-East Asian affairs.

Speaking of his country’s split from Czechoslovakia, the diplomat remarked that that in just 17 years Slovakia as been granted membership to the European Union, NATO and the Organization foe Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Ambassador Rozkopal said that the industrialization achieved by Slovakia is “an example of the possibilities open to the Timorese People”.

At the level of bilateral co-operation, the diplomat commended the work of the Slovak medical team in the mountains of Timor-Leste.

Dr. Rozkopal has a Masters degree in South-East Asian studies from the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He speaks fluent Bahasa Indonesia, English, Russian, German and Polish.

Ambassador Rozkopal will conduct his diplomatic duties vis-à-vis Timor-Leste from Jakarta.