New foreign minister visits Slovakia

The new Czech foreign minister, Jan Kohout, visited Slovakia on Sunday on his first trip abroad two days after he assumed office. Mr Kohout met for talks with his Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajčák to discuss the Czech presidency of the EU that the new Czech government has to complete. The ministers also said they would like to enhance the knowledge of the Czech and Slovak languages in their respective countries, particularly in the young generations. Czech and Slovak are similar Western Slavic languages and their knowledge was common in both parts of the Czechoslovak federation.

Slovakia has traditionally been the first destination Czech officials visit after taking office. Both President Klaus and the former PM, Mirek Topolánek, visited the country at the start of their terms.

Author: Jan Richter