|
President of the Slovak Republic
Europe Place
Since 1989 it is frequently heard about our return to Europe. Although it is only symbolic, because we have always geographically been in Europe, this expression shows our desire for a definite integration into democratic and free partnership of other european countries. Our undoubted direction into the European Union has been recently proved in the Europe Place in Komárno - a complex of buildings where the houses representing by their architecture the various countries of the „ old „ continent, which is for more than a millennium home for many nations, stand next to each other.
The cruel wars afflicted Europe not once, including two world wars and it is not so far away when it was divided by the barbed wire and the Iron Curtain. Now we live in that period when the majority of countries expresses a desire for integration whilst the cultural variety should be saved. Europe of the future should be, however, united but also colourfull, in the same way as Europe Place in Komárno in Southern Slovakia. There should stand the countries with a common aim to enrich Europe with their unique national wealth, close to each other.
I believe that Slovakia will belong to those countries accepted by Europe in a short time. I would be very pleased when exactly the Europe Place, ceremonially opened just before the entry into new, hopeful millennium would symbolize the „Place“ from where we soon will enter under the common roof of the European Union.
Rudolf Schuster
President of the Slovak Republic |
|
