Embassy Events
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Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes. |
Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes Lauds US-Slovak Cooperation on Building Democracy in the Region
When Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes visited Slovakia on October 2, she discussed with Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Secretary Algayerová partnership possibilities between Slovakia and the United States in helping to grow democracies in the region and the Balkans. At a press conference held afterward, U/S Hughes announced a 20,000 USD grant to Pontis, a local NGO that will put Slovak expertise to work in Serbia, building grassroots democracy. U/S Hughes then met with students at Slovak Technical University which is pioneering public-private partnerships to better prepare students to work in today's competitive market place. At famed Vengloš Academy, U/S Hughes spoke to Roma and majority population high school students about "Romano Drom," a website showcasing Roma success stories. She spoke of the importance of integration, education and hard work in advancing minority rights. Afterwards, the students played a soccer match in which the Roma children and majority children played in mixed squads, demonstrating that integration of diverse peoples brings unique gifts to society. Photography students from her home state of Texas shared their experience their Slovak counterparts via digital video conference, hosted by U/S Hughes. At the end of the day, U/S Hughes did a live interview on all news television station TA3 in which she spoke about how much she enjoyed her visit to Slovakia, how impressed she was with the beauty and obvious prosperity of Bratislava and how President Bush strongly supports making accession to the Visa Waiver Program for Slovakia more flexible.
