The Czechoslovak Divorce - my stay in Bratislava

My stay in Bratislava (Slovakia) from September 1992 till December 1996

Part 2

By Rene Franken

Background:

On 1 January 1993 the Czechoslovak Federal Republic ceased to exist and two separate states were established – the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The whole process was successfully carried our in just six months. Two things stand out, one is that the inhabitants of both regions of Czechoslovakia were not at all consulted and secondly, not a single shot was fired in protest or any riots took place. The process that culminated in this separation I have already explained in my Prague memoirs. Suffice to say that it was more economic reasons that this took place than pure nationalism. High Government officials and even President Havel himself spared no efforts to try and prevent this happening.  

The last Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister (a Slovak and later a Prime Minister) told our Roelf Meyer that they decided to separate so that they could join the European Union as two separate states. The economies of both were very different and it would also be easier in the negotiations to join the EU than if a complicated Federal State such as Czechoslovakia, with its two regional parliaments as well as a central parliament in Prague, would do it. There were also external players, especially from German industries, wishing to have a separate Slovakia as this would put them in a better position to participate in any future privatisations. Slovakia had heavy industries, producing primary goods such as iron and aluminium as well as other such as a large paper mill, a large armaments industry producing the Russian T2 Tank, etc. A visit by the German President von Weizacker told the Slovaks before separation that Germany supported the rights of nations to self-determination.

Then there was the Catholic Church which also wished separation as Slovakia was about 86% Roman Catholic, whereas the people in the Czech Republic were both Roman Catholic and Protestant, but the majority were downright Atheist. If Slovakia became independent the Catholic Church would have a Papal Nuncio in Bratislava who would automatically be the Doyen (Head) of the Diplomatic Corps and so give the Vatican an added diplomatic advantage in this part of Central Europe.

Eventually it was the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Dr. Vladimir Meciar, who declared the wish of Slovakia to separate and it as the Prime Minister of the Czechs who confirmed that they would not stand in the way of the separation of the two nations.

Establishing our Mission in Bratislava, Slovakia, 3 September 1992:

Why did we wish a Mission in Slovakia? It was a Political decision and can be traced back to the visit of Pik Botha to Bratislava in November 1990. After a visit to Prague, he also included a visit to Bratislava to have discussions with the Slovaks at the highest level. Vic Zazeraj accompanied the Minister and he told me later that Pik immediately clicked with the Slovaks and felt completely at home with them. He commented to Vic in Afrikaans – “hulle is meer soos ons mense” (Pik found the Czechs somewhat aloft and their world outlook strange). Pik had a good time in the Government Guest House and partied till late night. During this visit he told the Slovaks that South Africa would treat both nations as equals and we would open a Mission in Bratislava. 

The Department was not convinced that this was the right thing to do so soon.  Shortly after Pik’s visit, Nico du Bois was told to be Head of Mission in Prague and he subsequently visited the city in February 1991 to start the arrangements for the opening of a Mission there. I was also told to go to Prague as Second-in–Charge, but to give special attention to our relations with Slovakia. However, we had so much to do in Prague that developments in Slovakia were secondary. Our first goal was to get our Mission, which was initially only a Consulate General, upgraded to an Embassy. This was eventually done in October 1991. At this point the Department was still hesitant to open the office in Bratislava and wanted to wait some more time. Then in June 1992 the announcement was made by the Slovaks that they wanted to separate.

 In August 1992, Neil van Heerden visited Prague and he told us that I should go to Bratislava and open a Mission there as soon as possible, but before 1 January 1993, the date of independence. The idea was to have a Mission with a low budget and get office space and a residence before all the other countries would do the same and there would be a shortage of such places. In retrospect this was the right thing to do as a number of diplomatic staff members and even later Ambassadors had to spend long periods in hotels before finding suitable places. Shortly after van Heerden left, Evert Riekert came to visit us in Prague. 

He looked at our accommodation and as he was visiting the house where I was staying with my family, the van arrived with all my belongings from South Africa. Riekert hinted that I should not unpack all my things as arrangements were under way to appoint me as Consul General in Bratislava. Not long afterwards I received my appointment as Consul General responsible for Slovakia and on 3 September 1992 the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry handed me the Exequartur, signed by the last Czechoslovak Foreign Minister, Dr. Moravcik, a Slovak who would later become Foreign Minister and Prime Minister in Slovakia, after independence.

Now Dr. Moravcik was a specialist in Constitutional Law and during the last period in Prague he was mostly absorbed with the drafting of agreements concerning the separation of both countries. This was a huge task which he carried out with vigour and dedication. All the common assets had to be divided between both states, a Herculean job. It should be remembered at this point, that all Ministries as well as the Central Bank were in Prague and nothing in Bratislava. Also, all Embassies and Residences were in the name of Czechoslovakia. The first decision taken was that all government officials, who were Slovaks, should move to Bratislava by 1 January 1993 (a special dispensation was made for those Slovak government officials who wished to stay in Prague, to do so in their old jobs). 

This included Diplomatic and other Foreign Affairs Officials. This was my great luck as those officials in Foreign Affairs in Prague, whom we dealt within the Africa section, were all Slovaks. All Embassies and Official Residences abroad were divided. Usually the Chanceries were given to the Czechs and the Official Residences to the Slovaks. Most other assets were divided by the formula out of 3 the Czechs got 2 and the Slovaks 1. This was done as the Czechs were about 11 million and the Slovaks about 5.5 million people. It was also agreed that the Czech Republic would take over most of the Czechoslovak debt. This was done to somehow compensate for all government infrastructure located in Prague and lacking in Bratislava. The last item which I think has still not been agreed upon is the division of the gold reserves in the Central Bank in Prague. 

The Slovaks were adamant that most of this gold was theirs and taken to Prague on a regular basis as Slovakia had some gold mines. It was also decided that Czechoslovak money would stay in circulation for a period of 18 months, to give each time to print new notes. I mention all of this as it did effect us foreigners in Bratislava.

To find a suitable Office and Residence was a very difficult task as these just did not exist. The Department wanted a list of suitable properties as well as estate agents. If this was not serious it would have been the biggest joke in Bratislava, as none existed.

At the time when I moved down from Prague, there were only some East Block Consulates plus the German, Austrian and USA Consulates. The Americans had their own building dating from 1945, which they vacated in 1948, in protest against the communist government in Prague.  This building remained vacant till the Americans took it over again in 1990 and installed their Consulate General there. A hang-over from communist time was a so-called Diplomatic Service Office in Bratislava. 

It functioned before 1990 and was to provide Consular staff with Office accommodation and Residences. This Office was kept after the elected government in Czechoslovakia and Regional Parliaments set up in both Regions. However, this office was controlled by the Foreign Ministry in Prague and there was a similar office there also to assist Embassies. Both du Bois and I visited this office in September 1992 to see if they could help with office space and an Official Residence.

Now, to house all transferred Consular staff, a compound of apartments were built by the Foreign Ministry some years before the fall of communism. The complex was situated up on the hill near the Government Guest House. The apartments were mainly three bedrooms, a lounge, a kitchen and bathroom. They had a marvelous view over three countries, as apart from the Austrian border which was only 3 kilometers away, the Hungarian border was only seven kilometers.  

The apartment block was not the typical satellite blocks as we had become used to in Eastern Europe. It was only three stories, but with no elevators. There were also some Heads of Mission residing there. The Diplomatic Service told us that there was only one apartment empty and that was previously occupied by the representative of Tass, the Russian news agency. 

We looked at this office and decided to refer the matter to Head Office for approval as a Chancery, as it was obvious that if we did not take it, there would be serious problems after 1 January 1993, the day of independence. This apartment would be sufficient to accommodate us. The rent would be very low and we did not have to pay for gas central heating or electricity as the Diplomatic Services took care of this for the whole compound. Now the place was not as representative as we would have liked it to be, but Head Office eventually gave the green light. 

The place needed major interior decoration as it was totally worn out by the Russians who stayed there. However, there was really nobody local available to do this kind of work, plenty workmen but no proper materials such as high quality paint,   laminated floor, doors, etc. All these materials had to be purchased in Austria.

Once we had the rental contract signed, I took the emergency furniture we initially had in the office in Prague to Bratislava. These were the tables, chairs, a sofa and a cupboard, so I could get started. This coincided with the visit of Minister Kraai van Niekerk (Agriculture) and some of his Department,s officials, plus their wives. It was not easy, as I was alone in Bratislava, but somehow we managed. The cars and drivers came from Prague with the delegation where they had been on a visit before coming to Bratislava. Anyway, the Slovaks were very casual and gave the Minister and his retinue a warm reception. To get a phone for the office was no problem and the Diplomatic Services arranged for this in a few days with no cost to us.

To get the office running was quite a job, as I was all alone. My family stayed behind in Prague and for more than one month I commuted between Bratislava and Prague. It soon became clear to me that I required a professional company to do all the interior works, otherwise it would have taken a long time to have all this done. I contacted our Head of Administration in Vienna and he found a reputable Austrian company prepared to do this job. Vienna was only 55 kilometers from Bratislava and this company was already involved with other work in Bratislava. 

A meeting was arranged on site with the officials from the company and because we were still under control of Prague, our Administration officer there, Peter Bolink also attended the meeting and gave valuable inputs. The company prepared all the sketches and gave a quote, which Peter Bolink forwarded to Head office for approval. This was subsequently approved by Head Office and the work commenced in early October 1992. It was finished in early November and ready for occupation. 

However, it was sparsely furnished with the old furniture which had been written off in our Embassy in Berne, and which we initially used in Prague and then taken to Bratislava for me to get started.

The Official Residence was more of a problem. Such places available for rent just did not exist at the time. In desperation I walked up a hill were previously wealthy Austrians lived. The Austrians called Bratislava, Pressburg, the name of town until 1919, when it was incorporated into the new state of Czechoslovakia. There were a number of mansions there but all in a dilapidated state requiring substantial renovations.

Whilst walking up the hill I passed a man and his son seemingly building a house. On speaking to him I was lucky that he spoke fluent German, which I could also do. He told me that he was building a house on the plot which he inherited from his late farther. In response to my question as to how long he would take to finish the job he said that this depended on the money he had from time to time – he was a dentist and his wife a lung specialist. He showed me the inside of the house and it looked like the right place for our Residence in Bratislava.

I suggested that I help him get a mortgage with the Austrian Volksbanken – then the only western bank in Bratislava. One of the senior officials of this bank, whom I got to know as she assisted us in opening an official account with them, could help. I told her we would give an undertaking that we would rent the house for the following four years at a price of DM 2 500.00 per month. For the first six months we would pay in advance, and then monthly. 

This was to enable the owner to finish the house as soon as possible, so I could occupy it with my family, who were still in Prague. He agreed and this was a good deal for us as other residences in Europa were far more expensive. It was not a lavish Residence, but Peter Bolink from Prague and I felt that we should go for it.  He made a submission together with a floor plan, for Head Office approval. 

This was given fairly quickly, as I suspected they were pleased at the low rent and the place would be brand new. In contrast, my second-in-charge rented a smaller house in February 1993, soon after independence, which cost DM 4 000.00 per month. The owner also undertook to have the place fitted with wall to wall carpets and proper light fittings. I moved into the house on 11 October 1992.

The outside of the house was only finished after Christmas and the garage and driveway in March 1993. When moving my family it was arranged that all the furniture, which was bought in Germany for our house in Prague, would be taken to the Residence in Bratislava and we would live with this until the Department sent its own furniture from South Africa.

Other experiences and activities:

Now the fun really started, as it was decided that after 15 November 1992, no Diplomatic Notes could be delivered to the Foreign Ministry in Prague concerning Slovakia. This had to wait till independence on 1 January 1993. Only in very urgent cases they could be delivered to the Protocol Section of the Slovak Regional Prime Ministers Office in Bratislava. Such a case was the dispute between Hungary and Czechoslovakia about the Gabchikova hydroelectric dam project by the Danube River, on the border between Slovakia and Hungary.

It was difficult for the three new Consulates opened in Bratislava since August 1992. This was the Chinese, Belgian and South African. In all three cases it was the second-in-charge who was moved down from Prague and these Consulates were managed  by their from Embassies in Prague, until independence. The odd ones out were the Ukrainians who did everything from Kiev.

The Department sent me furniture for the Official Residence, which arrived in Bratislava via Austria on 5 December 1992. I had to go to Customs to have the consignment cleared. However, there was no formal approval from the relevant Slovak authorities, as there was no Foreign Ministry or anybody else who could authorise this diplomatic consignment. I went to the Chief of the Customs Office in Bratislava to see what could be done. 

I had spoken to the Chief of Protocol in the regional Prime Minister’s Office before and he said that he would speak to the Chief of Customs about this issue and open the door for me. So, I took six bottles of South African red wine and one bottle of whisky with me to the Chief of Customs who was delighted. He put a stamp on the documents and said that after 1 January 1993, I should clear the matter with Foreign Affairs and bring him the necessary documents. 

However, with his stamp on the documents of the consignment, I could clear the furniture and have it delivered to the Official Residence. A week later the Official Car arrived and the same procedure had to be repeated. Looking back I can say it was lucky that I was in Bratislava, a town the size of Bloemfontein, so it was easier to get things done there than what we experienced in Prague.

In September 1992, I started to work in Bratislava and in the beginning I was just on my own. The first task was to recruit a Driver and Secretary – easier said than done. The local Diplomatic Services office said that they could find me a Secretary whom formerly worked in the Czechoslovak Embassy in Pakistan and was fluent in English. I interviewed the lady. Peter Bolink, our Administration Officer from Prague, was also present. 

She, Catarina Neuschelova, turned out to be the best secretary I ever had in my Foreign Affairs career. She was very effective and efficient and knew exactly who to contact to have things done. She also helped my wife with matters concerning the hosting of receptions in our Residence and selecting an appropriate guest list for functions. Her English was excellent. I also had our Embassy in Vienna print all the stationery needed for a Consulate General including visa application forms. I received a safe from Vienna which could serve as a temporary storage space for classified material such as the visa stop list and the rubber visa stamp. On a weekly basis I had a Diplomatic Bag which operated via our Embassy in Vienna.

She also told me that she knew of a suitable driver for our office. The man, Julius Bartischek, spoke good English and German as well as Russian. Before he was many years an international truck driver and transported goods all over Europe, Russia and the Middle East. More recently he had worked for the Casino in the Forum Hotel in Bratislava, chaperoning wealthy guests during their stay in Slovakia. He also turned out to be worth his weight in gold and could complete various administrative jobs as well. 

So, here I was with two very reliable local staff in a difficult situation regarding the setting up of a Mission in a country that was in a transitional phase from Province to Independence. We had to work partly from our Residence with the driver being at the Office every day together with the Austrians who were decorating the Chancery and Catarina and I working out of the Residence. Only once everything was set up, did the South African Administration Officer, Renee Everson, take up her posting late in December 1992. 

We even got a house for her to stay in spite of the scarcity of suitable accommodation.  Renee was on her first posting and in such a strange country which was in transition as Slovakia. However, she coped well and I was there to help having done Administration- and Consular work before in Rio de Janeiro, Munich and Funchal.

Judicial matters – de Facto and de Jure recognition:

Consulates in Bratislava, through their Embassies in Prague, could not send any Diplomatic Notes to the Foreign Ministry concerning Slovakia after 15 November 1992. These matters had to remain until after independence on 1 January 1993. There were the following Consulates in Bratislava at independence – Russia (the largest), Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Germany (they took over the previous DDR Consulate), Austria, the USA, and then followed by China , Belgium and South Africa. 

Lastly, there was the Ukrainians working out of a new building which was supposed to host the new German Embassy. Ukraine had also recently become independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union early 1992. There was one Ukrainian diplomat there who seemed to be the Head, but they were not a Consulate yet. He came from Ushgorod, a city on the border with Slovakia. I think he was a Trade Officer, but I found out that he could issue visas for Ukraine. We came to know him quite well, as his Chancery was across the road from us and he regularly gave us and South African business people visas to visit Ukraine.

The most curious thing was the issue of the new Austrian Head of Mission who arrived on 16 November 1992, to take up his post. We were told that he was officially “Charge de Affaires” but not “Ad Interim”. We found this curious as technically the Austrian Embassy in Prague was still in charge of affairs in Slovakia but no diplomatic notes could be sent to the Czechoslovakian Foreign Ministry which was winding down and would not receive any diplomatic notes concerning Slovakia after 15 November 1992. Thus, Slovakia was technically not yet independent but this could apparently done with the special approval of the Prime Minister in Slovakia.

 As 31 December 1992 approached, there was a flurry of activity on the diplomatic  side in Prague and Bratislava. In  the middle of November 1992 all Diplomatic Missions in Prague were informed that it had been decided that as of 1 January 1993 all Ambassadors accredited in Prague, would automatically also be accredited to Slovakia, thus implying automatic recognition of Slovakia’s  independence, unless a notification was received that the Ambassador in Prague would no longer be accredited to Slovakia. 

This implied that most Heads of Mission in Prague, would just continue covering both countries – we called it divided responsibility. The Slovak Government informed us that the Regional Office of the Foreign Ministry would open on 31 December 1992 until 1 am when it would be the Foreign Ministry of the independent  Slovakia to accept Diplomatic Notes advising if there would be any change in Diplomatic Representation concerning Slovakia.  

Since early December 1992, Nico du Bois was onto the Department about our status in Slovakia as we had a Consulate General there and what should happen after independence. There was no response from Head Office, only that Pik and the whole cabinet were on leave and would only reconvene on 25 January 1993. However,at this time we were informed that the Czechoslovakian Embassy in Pretoria would split up with the Chancery remaining with the Czechs and the Official Residence going to the Slovaks. 

Also the Czechoslovakian  Ambassador (a Slovak) would become the Slovak Ambassador to South Africa and the Second In Charge, the Czech Charge de Affairs ad interim. Whilst our legal section were preoccupied with this, Nico du Bois thought he would, after 1 January 1993, automatically be Ambassador to both the Czech Republic as well as the Slovak Republic. The lack of response from Head Office strengthened his view. He was keen to have this option, because he liked to deal with the Slovaks, as all our contacts in the Foreign Ministry were Slovaks who now had to move to Bratislava.  This was the position until 31 December 1992.

At 9 am in the morning on 31 December du Bois received a message from Head Office instructing him to advise the Slovak authorities per Diplomatic Note that as from the next day South Africa would change their Consulate General in Bratislava to an Embassy and I would be the Charge de Affairs ad Interim. This was quite a shock to Nico as this is not what he expected. He called me and said that the Diplomatic Note was being typed and would be taken to Bratislava by his driver. He should arrive round lunchtime. I could then arrange to have the Note delivered to the Slovak Government, which I personally did. 

The thing that struck me was that the Note also mentioned that South Africa was giving the Slovak Republic “de facto” recognition and “de jure” would follow later. Subsequently South Africa only gave “de jure” recognition to Slovakia on 25 January 1993 when this was approved at the first Cabinet meeting in Pretoria. The following Missions in Bratislava also handed over Diplomatic Notes to the Foreign Ministry that afternoon: Germany, USA, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, China, Belgium, Ukraine and Hungary.

On the evening of 31 December 1992, the Slovak Government hosted a huge reception at the State Guest House to celebrate independence at midnight. There must have been over 200 guests and as from 6 pm long queues were forming to enter the building. It was -14 degrees Celsius outside and I remember my wife complaining that we had to walk some distance from the parking place at the Chancery to the State Guest House, as cars had already blocked most of the entrance. I recall my wife also being angry because she said I was walking too fast – but it was so cold I could hardly speak and wanted to get into the Guest house with her as soon as possible.

Once inside you could feel the excitement of the guests, especially the Slovaks who were witnessing the birth of their State. This is an experience I will never forget and every time since then when I visit Bratislava, after I left the Department, I recall this event as one of the highlights of my career. Also, all our Slovak colleagues whom we knew from the Foreign Ministry in Prague were there. So it was a real party. The representatives from the other ten Missions in Bratislava also attended. We soon had a special bond between us which subsequent new arrivals did not have.

At the stroke of midnight the Slovak National Anthem was played followed by a 21 gun salute fired from Bratislava Castle. This was a gripping experience. Thereafter, we congratulated our Slovak hosts from the Prime Minister, Ministers, high government officials etc., etc. That was a historical and emotional moment in Central Europe. The guests then proceeded to the main square in town were the celebrations went on until the early hours of the morning.

The day after:

 1 January 1993 was a quite a day. The only noticeable difference showing that a new State had been established was that Slovak flags were flying from most homes and apartments.

I went to cross the border into Austria so as to get a stamp in my Diplomatic Passport showing the date of 1 January 1993. It was different to the old Czechoslovakian stamp. All the markings of Czechoslovakia were removed on the border and replaced with Slovak Republic signs. Otherwise there was nothing much happening in Bratislava that day. 

There was a church service later in the morning for everybody who wished to attend including some members of the newly established Diplomatic Corps. The next day was more eventful. On 1 January 1993 the new Czech Government had invited all Heads of Mission stationed in Prague, as well as many other Czech dignitaries to the Castle for a reception. 

That is why the Slovaks decided to host their function on 2 January 1993. As the majority of Ambassadors in Prague were now automatically accredited to Slovakia as well, so they wer also be invited. The reception at the Prime Ministers Office on 2 January 1993 in Bratislava was quite an experience. We were only eleven Heads of Mission stationed in Bratislava and none of us was an Ambassador – only Charge de Affairs ad interim except that the Austrian was only called  Charge de Affairs. 

About 80 Heads of Mission from Prague came that day to attend the reception in Bratislava.  A number of us did not have our drivers, as these were on leave. I walked to the Prime Ministers Office and on entering the building I saw the wife of Austrian Head of Mission driving their official car and after her husband got out of the car, an official told her to drive to the parking lot where all the other drivers were gathered. I think the official did not realise that she was the wife of the Austrian Head of Mission.  Wives were not invited to this reception so he could not have realised who she was. For us it was a hilarious scene. 

The Prime Minister, Dr Vladimir Meciar, greeted all Heads of Mission personally and had a short discussion with each. I have to mention that there was no President, either in Prague or in Bratislava and the Federal Parliament in Prague disbanded on 31 December 1992. Not being Ambassadors, we were last in the queue – the whole process took about 3 hours. What impressed me about Dr. Meciar was that after speaking to all Heads of Mission, when it came to my turn he said that he was pleased that South Africa had the courage to open a Mission here when many others of the more important European countries did not do so. 

They thought that Slovakia was a backward country and would economically suffer due to the separation of both States. He also said that we could count on him to support our actions in Slovakia, as well as internationally. What amazed me the most was that he said that we could now advance with our Bilateral Agricultural Treaty as well as the Visa Exception Agreement which du Bois discussed with him during our visit in October 1992. Now, with over 80 Heads of Mission he talked to, how could he have remembered this detail?. I later found out that this man had an outstanding memory and attention to detail – he reminded me of our former Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Brand Fourie, who also had these qualities.

 Later, during the reception Meciar held a fiery speech mainly on Slovakia’s short-, medium- and long term goals. He did this without any paper. I came to experience him as a person who never had a paper when giving speeches. He had a strong personality who for many years was the Youth Leader of the Slovak Communist Party. He was a boxer in his young days as well. However, after the fall of communism his views became more moderate and he could be called a moderate left-winger. The next day, the euphoria about independence was starting to fade and it came to the nitty gritty of establishing the new State and also our relations with this new country.

Establishing the new Slovak Republic:

At independence Slovakia had no Parliament, only a Regional Parliament, which ceased to exist on 31 December 1992. The new Parliament (former Regional Parliament) convened on 3 January 1993 and approved its own creation. It also agreed that the former Speaker, Adv. Ivan Gasparovich, would be Speaker of the new Slovak Parliament. 

We soon came to know him well. He later visited South Africa as guest of our Parliament (Senate) arranged by Minister Kobie Coetzee, who had visited Slovakia in the meantime. There were still no Ministers, no Defense Force, no Finance Minister, no Justice Minister, no Foreign Affairs Minister, no Central Bank, etc., etc. It was decided that all former Regional Ministers would just be made Ministers. However, shortly afterwards Dr. Meciar changed his Cabinet and presented them to us at a special reception and gave us an opportunity to meet them and have a short conversation.

Now, the task of establishing all government institutions was much more complicated in Bratislava than in Prague which already had all of this infrastructure from the Federal time. The required office accommodation was there in Prague, but in Bratislava new suitable ones had to be found. 

The Slovaks had already identified some buildings, but many of them were run down and required major renovations. Some of these buildings were thus considered as temporary, such as Foreign Affairs which was just next to the railway station and a typical neglected communist building. For years after the Slovaks used this building as their Foreign Ministry before eventually moving to a more representative place.

 A new budget was passed with speed by the new Parliament and it was clear from this that Slovakia would be prudent with its expenditure. This pointed to a good economic policy and no funds were wasted on extravagance.  Because of the perception created in Prague before independence that Slovakia was not an economical viable state and would soon suffer economically, the Prime Minister gave special attention to trying to rectify these negative perceptions. Of course those who knew better were not affected by this perception.

Added to Slovakia’s problems was that of the Hungarian minority.  About 15% of the population in Slovakia was ethnically Hungarian and most lived in an area next to the Danube close to Bratislava. The Hungarian Government thought that a weakened Slovakia could give them a gap to obtain more rights for their people in Slovakia than they had before in the Czechoslovakian Federal Republic. Alas, it quickly transpired that this was not going to be the case, as they had not reckoned with the Slovak Prime Minister who took no nonsense. Things quickly got heated.

But of more immediate importance was the Danube Gabcikovo Hydroelectric Dam Project on the border of the two countries.. This project had already been approved by Czechoslovakia and Hungary in communist time. In the final phases of Czechoslovakia, the Hungarians then declared that they were cancelling all agreements concerning this dam with Czechoslovakia and requested that the contract to build this project be cancelled, that all work be stopped and the matter referred for arbitration by the International Court of Justice. Here they misjudged the determination of Dr Meciar who decided to continue with the works and get the best civil and mechanical engineers in Germany to complete the project in record time, despite the Hungarian actions and threats.

The Hungarian Charge de Affairs in Bratislava, Mr Jeno Borros, who had already been in Bratislava as Consul General for some time and who just had his status changed to Charge de Affairs, had warned his government of this issue of the Dam project. He was an excellent diplomat, probably one of the very best Hungary had, He found himself in a very intense and difficult time, sitting in the hot seat between both countries’ governments. Even the Slovaks had the highest respect for him and he got on well with Slovak Government officials. At this time Hungary had a fiery Nationalist Government and Slovakia a Socialist Government. It was later said that the Slovaks had the best engineers and the Hungarians the best lawyers.

The mega dam project turned out to be of major economic benefit to Slovakia as it produced about 10% of the country’s electricity. It also had a sluice so that flooding could be contained and shipping pass though at all times, as the water level could be controlled. The original Danube River was diverted, so that the whole waterway was now in Slovak territory and the original river now a dry river bed in Hungary. 

These problems with Hungary kept the Slovaks on their toes. Slovak Foreign Ministers came and went in short time as Dr. Meciar was not happy with their complacent handling of Hungarian Affairs vis-a-vis Slovakia. Then Dr Moravcik was appointed as Foreign Minister and things changed and calmed down a bit.  He was a professor in Constitutional Law and we knew him form our stay in Prague as he was the last Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister. He was also signed my exequatur as Consul General in Bratislava in September 1992.

Very soon after Independence, normality returned to the diplomatic scene and normal day-to-day life in Bratislava. The first thing that took everybody by surprise was the issue of continuing using of Czechoslovakian banknotes in Slovakia. These banknotes were supposed to be valid as legal tender for 18 months from date of independence.

However, shortly after independence a rumour spread that Slovakia was going to have to drastically devalue against the Czechoslovakian Krone otherwise there would be economic collapse. The rumour was devoid of all truth, but suddenly bank notes started to disappear from the streets of Bratislava and went by lorry load to Prague.   In a few days there were hardly anymore Czechoslovakian banknotes to be had in Bratislava. Drastic action had to be taken and as we could not make any cash payments. Both the Czech and Slovak Governments came up with a unique solution.

The army was called in as well as other Government officials and all Czechoslovakian Bank notes recalled and taken to the Central Bank in Prague. Round the clock, officials and army staff were recalled to divide theses notes according to the formula 2 to 1 (as were divided all assets of Czechoslovakia). 

A specific Czech stamp was affixed to the notes referring to the Czech Republic, and the other got a Slovak stamp. The notes with the Slovak stamps were then sent to Bratislava and the new Slovak Central Bank distributed them to the banks in Slovakia according to their needs. This was all done in a period of about one week. In the meantime the Slovaks got Austrian Schilling Banknotes which we could get from the Banks in Slovakia and could use as legal tender according to a fixed rate determined by the Central Bank. Promptly, the Slovak currency was devalued by 10% against the Czech money and so it remained for a couple of years until Slovakia joined Euro currency zone in January 2008. 

Despite all the rumours spread about the Slovak economy, during and after the separation process, it is still today (2016) the only country that has the Euro currency in that region of former communist states such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. About three months later both the Czechs and Slovaks had received their own new bank notes, the Czech notes being printed in London and the Slovak notes in Paris by the well know companies that did this kind of specialised work. This was a clear sign that both countries were now starting to follow their own economic goals.

Promoting of Political- and Socio Economic relations with South Africa:

We were very lucky that the Diplomatic staff serving in the Africa section of the former Czechoslovakian Foreign Ministry in Prague were nearly all Slovaks, so on separation of the two states they were all in Bratislava. Of course, we already had excellent relations with them before, so I was not a stranger to the new Slovak Foreign Ministry. Before independence all Slovak matters were handled by the Czechoslovakian Foreign Ministry in Prague as well as by their Embassy in Pretoria. 

On separation the Czechoslovak Embassy in Pretoria was divided in two – Chancery became the property of the Czech Republic and the Official Residence went to Slovak Republic. The Czechoslovak Ambassador in Pretoria became the Slovak Ambassador to South Africa and the Counsellor of the Czechoslovak Embassy (a Czech) became the Charge de Affairs of the Czech Embassy. So when I became the South African Consul General in Bratislava on 3 September 1992, there was already movement to strengthen our bilateral relations. There was also a Slovak community in South Africa totaling about 7000 persons.

Most of the activities taking place were visits of high level officials both ways, as well as journalists and other important business people. Being only 52 kilometers from Vienna city centre visitors to our Embassy there could easily visit Bratislava as well. One could take a day trip and Vienna airport only 38 kilometers from Bratislava.  To mention just a few – we had the visit as guests of our Department, the Rector of the Comenius University in Bratislava (Prof Swetch) and his Vice-Rector (Prof Devin). 

We had a group of Slovakian journalists, joined by a group of Czech journalists as Internal guests of our Department. SAA also made a contribution by settling the air tickets. On their return a brochure was printed by Satour as suggested by the journalists after their South Afria visit, which aimed specifically at the Czech and Slovak tourists to South Africa. Also, at the same time Austrian Air started with two direct flights a week to Johannesburg which soon proved very popular. We had the Speaker of the Slovak Parliament (Adv Gasparovich) visiting South Africa as guest of the Senate (Kobie Coetzee). The Slovak Foreign Minister, Mr Hamzik, visited South Africs as did the Defence Minister.

From the South Africsn side there were a number of visits that we also were directly involved with. A delegation of senior Denel officials, followed by the visit of our Deputy Minister of Defence, Ronnie Kasrils,and Dr Stals of the South African Reserve Bank. A delegation of the SA Senate, a separate group of SA Parliamentarians, Prof Chris Barnard, a group of senior staff of ISCOR to visit the largest steel works in Central Europe in Kosice, Eastern Slovakia, a group from SA Breweries who wished to take over certain Slovak beer factories which they subsequently did, Minister Roelf Meyer, Mondi SA who wished to have a joint venture with the largest paper mill in Central Europe and NCP (owners of Sasol) who wished to  have a joint venture with the Slovakia Sugar Institute to have access to the process (patent) of using molasses to produce Citric Acid.

We also had a Bilateral Agricultural Agreement signed with Slovakia as well as the Visa Agreement allowing for Visa free travel for Slovaks to South Africa and South African visitors to Slovakia. The latter caused some initial confusion as our border control officials did not know the difference between the Czechs and the Slovaks at our airports. Czechoslovak passports were also still valid for 18 months after Independence Day.

The Visa Agreement was not easy as there was pressure from some Slovaks, as well as from the Czechs and countries such Austria and Germany to streamline visa exemption agreements. In this regard the Czechs refused to have a similar agreement with South Africa as did the Poles. To have the green light for this Visa Agreement, I had to go to one of most well-know Spa (hot water Spring) in Slovakia and talk with the Minister of Internal Affairs. I spent some time with him there in the enclosed spring. It was like a big sauna and smelt like rotten eggs. We South Africans are not used to this kind of relaxation.  The Slovak Ambassador in South Africa also made an input as he was from the same political party as the Minister.

Trade matters soon increased and it was arranged that one of our Trade Attaches in Vienna, would also be accredited to Slovakia. He was Ras Singh, a very dedicated official and full of energy. To visit the large companies (mainly factories) we arranged that I would ask for appointments with the CEO’s of these companies and he would accompany me on these visits. This way we saw the most important centres of Slovakia.

One of the factories which we visited was the paper mill. It was the largest in Central Europe. I had an unexpected visit of the top board members of “Franstach AG” in Vienna. When asking for the meeting they said that is was confidential and did not want to mention it over the telephone.  The Chairman of the Board and his Vice Chairman came to my residence for lunch so they would not be seen in a public place. It was explained to me that the Austrian company actually belonged to Mondi SA and thus one of the Anglo American group of companies. 

They wanted very much to participate in the privatisation process of the Slovakian Paper Mill, but there were a few other horses running for this as well. As I was the South African  Ambassador they would like any advice from me as to how they could go about clinching the deal. They did have a lobbyist in Slovakia, but at that time relations with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Austrian Government were a bit stressed. 

What I did was first to talk to the new Slovak Foreign Minister, Mr Hamzik, and he told me that he would shortly go to South Africa and during his visit, Minister Alfred Nzo could also raise it with him. Because all large privatisation matters were really controlled by the Prime Minister, I should try and see him personally. This was really a commercial issue, but as it was a South African multinational company, 

I felt that we should take care of our interests first. I then had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Meciar. He was back in power after a while in opposition. He received me, as always in avery friendly and relaxed way, and first he wanted to know how things were developing in South Africa. I then mentioned the issue of the Austrian company bidding for the privatisation of the paper mill and said that it really was part of Mondi SA. I mentioned the name of the person in Bratislava who was the Austrian firm’s lobbyist. Dr Meciar responded that he was aware of this person and his advice was that the Austrians should continue with the process via this person. 

Meciar said that he now had a clearer picture of the background of the Austrian company. The next day the Austrian Ambassador visited me at home and wanted to know how the meeting with the Prime Minister went. He was probably in touch with the Austrian gentlemen who visited me before. In the meantime I asked Reinhard Mostert, Director in our Foreign Minister’s Office to put this item on the Minister’s agenda when Minisiter Hamzik meets Minister Nzo in Pretoria.

The departure:

As always with us, all good things come to an end and I had to return to South Africa. Pieter Vermeulen took over from me. I went through the normal saying goodbye to the people I knew - the Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs, etc., and my colleagues in the Diplomatic Service. Just before leaving I got an unexpected call from the President’s Office. 

He would like to see me and also say goodbye. I should come the next day at 11:00. Very unsuspecting, I turned up there the next morning and to my surprise all the senior personal from the President’s office were waiting for me, and also members of the press. I should have realised that something was going to happen, because I had to take along my wife, all the SA transferred personal, Renee Everson (admin), Theunis du Toit (counsellor) and his wife. I was told that it was decided to bestow on me an award of the Slovak White Cross, Second Class, for all the efforts done to establish and improve South Africa’s relations with Slovakia. 

I was told that I was one of the few foreigners, so far, to receive this Award. I was stunned but quickly recovered my composure. The President and his wife were introduced by me to my South African staff members. The President then made a speech on why he was bestowing this award. After this I had to reply. No time to prepare anything, but lucky for me there was a translator from English to Slovak. So, with every few sentences I had a few moments to prepare my next words. 

The President then put the medal over my shoulders and the press were taking pictures. This whole ceremony was very moving for me. We all had a glass of champagne and a chat. Thinking that everything was over, I was again surprised when the President told me he was inviting all of us to a private lunch. This included all the SA staff and their spouses as well as his staff. This was the first time he did this with foreign diplomatic staff on their farewell, until then. 

We all had a very nice lunch and this went on for some time. By the time we got back to the office it was already 16:00. I had immediately to call Reinhardt Mostert in the Ministers Office to tell him what happened as there was obviously no time to get prior Head Office approval. He replied not to worry as he would inform Rusty Evans and the Department would get ex post facto approval from the President’s Office.

This day was a moving experience for me and it was with a very sad heart that I left Slovakia shortly afterwards. Most of us probably had the same feeling when completing a tour of duty but for me the Slovak posting was very special one as it was more personal due to the few Embassies there up to then and due to having experienced the growth of a new nation in Europe. It was as if we were one big family.

Fortunately, I had the privilege to have visited the country a number of times afterwards, but I could see that so many developments had taken place since I left that the very family feeling and being part of a process towards statehood in that country and the people there, is something of the past.